Relinquish
by Admiral Godunov
Summary: Sometimes, it's better to let go of all that is familiar and fall into the unknown. After all, what could it hurt? sxs
1. Chapter 1

"Stand! Bow! Sit!" Tomoyo Daidouji, the class representative's voice rang out in the classroom as their teacher walked in the room. Desks squeaked against the floor accordingly, and as soon as everyone had settled, the teacher rearranged a few papers on his podium, and cleared his throat.

"Well, I know there have been rumors abounding concerning a transfer student and, yes, they were right," an explosion of whispers followed his words, and he waited a moment for the chatter to subside before he continued. "Students of class 2-C, please welcome, from Hong Kong, Li Xiao Lang." Well, at least the teacher _attempted _to say 'Xiao Lang', but what came out was an awkward and grating mix between 'Xiao Lang' and 'Syaoran' due to his accent, a blunder which didn't go unnoticed by the figure who walked in the door, and was rewarded by a long, steady, and wholly uncomfortable look. The teacher broke eye contact first, and looked back out to the class, obviously ruffled.

The new student turned to the class, his face mostly blank and impassive as he looked out and formally introduced himself, making it a point to slowly enunciate his own name, an action which pulled a deep frown from the teacher, and said frown only got deeper when the newcomer failed to bow as he introduced himself, successfully pulling a Japanese social faux pas.

Seconds ticked by after the last words left the younger male's lips, filled with a tense silence, the students all now leaning forward in their seats in an involuntary movement.

The young man at the front visibly tensed and a distinctly uncomfortable awkward look began to bloom on his face, pulling his nose up slightly, narrowing his eyes just a fraction of an inch, and he turned back to see the teacher staring at the podium intently. As though sensing someone's gaze, the teacher jolted up with an "Oh!" and scanned across the classroom, looking for an empty seat. "It looks like the only open seat is behind Kinomoto-san. Please raise your hand so Li-san knows where to sit."

A tentative hand raised in the back of the room, belonging to a girl who would otherwise be unnoticeable if not for her startlingly green eyes, and accompanied by a careful "Hai!". The teacher nodded at the new student, and all eyes were on him as he trudged his way down the long, long aisle to the very last seat in the row nearest the windows, very pointedly avoiding eye contact with anyone, and ignoring the friendly smile the girl sitting in the seat in front of his tried to give him. He set his things on the desk, and stared quietly out the window for the rest of the class.

The girl in front of him muttered a quiet 'Hoe?' at his cold demeanor, and immediately sought out her friend, the class representative's eyes, but found them, along with the rest of the class, staring at the boy behind her.

Class began formally after that as bulletins were passed around, updates were shared, and schedules for important events were laid out. Nearly everyone soon forgot about the new student, but the few people - mostly girls - who turned to look at him every so often. The first few classes passed uneventfully until their English teacher, an American woman by the name of Mrs. Spencer, a woman with a sharp wit and a sarcastic mannerism took the podium, and suddenly the class seemed a bit brighter. Not only because this was a favored teacher to many of the students, but also because her arrival meant one more class until lunch.

"Well! I hope you all have had a _spectacular _morning!" She announced in perfect American English, her voice bright and cheery. The few students who understood what she said responded with a similarly enthusiastic 'yes!'. Just as quickly, she slipped into lightly accented Japanese. "Well! It's about to get a lot less spectacular! I have a partner assignment for all of you, annnd..." she counted out the students in the class. "Oh I was right! No one is absent today, and with the new student from Hong Kong, hello back there _Mister Li_, we have an even number of boys to girls!" She grinned as she watched the student's faces fall, an absolutely _wicked_ look lighting her features. "And guess what else, you _don't_ get to pick your dates... I mean partners!"

A groan passed through the classroom.

"So, boys, I want you all to write your names on a slip of paper, it doesn't matter in what alphabet, fold it up, and bring it up here." She reverted to English as she noticed no one moving. "Chop chop! We don't have all day! Haiyaku!"

A few moments later, the boys began, one by one, standing up and handing the beaming teacher their names, until the last one, the new exchange student, trudged back into his desk. The teacher gathered the papers into a small basket, and shook it to mix up the names, before setting the basket on the podium. "Alright now girls, one at a time, I want you to come up here, grab a slip of paper, and one of these packets," She patted a stack of said packets sitting on the podium next to the basket. "And bring them back to your partner, afterward you may sit anywhere in the room you so choose to work. Ready? We'll start on the side closest to the windows."

The first girl in the row stood up, and did as she was told, and the procession continued until...

"Kinomoto-san..."

No answer, no movement, and suddenly all eyes were on the girl who sat, staring off into space somewhere near the chalkboard.

"Kinomoooto-saan," the teacher called again in an irritated sing-song voice.

Still no response.

Finally, the teacher took a deep breath and called "_Miss Kinomoto_" just as a strong finger jabbed her harshly on the back, both combining to make the poor young girl nearly jump out of her skin with a frightened squawk of something that sounded like 'hooooeee!'. She blinked rapidly and looked around as someone giggled, then flushed brightly from embarrassment as she got out of her seat and strode up to the podium and extracted a piece of paper. Unfolding it, she frowned at the name written there, two kanji, ones she knew but though she racked her brain, she couldn't think of a combination those two particular characters made that matched anyone in the class. _Little... wolf... Who writes their name in kanji...?_

And then she froze, and her head snapped up to look at the boy who now occupied the seat behind her, staring disinterestedly out the window. As though sensing eyes on him, he turned to look at her, and their eyes rested on each other, dark amber on emerald green, and suddenly a tense silence filled the room, even the teacher had stopped fussing at her to hurry up and go seemed to fall in the awe the rest of the room succumbed to.

Little by little, the girl's leg unlocked, and she stepped from the front of the class, feeling all eyes on her as she made her way back to her seat, and then beyond a little bit, until she was standing next to the desk of her partner.

"Uh-um, hello Li-san... I guess we're partners and um..." She blinked. "Oh! Right, my name is Kinomoto Sakura," A bow. "N-nice to meet you."

She stood up again to no response, just a blank, almost calculated stare, and immediately she turned for her friend and the class representative, Tomoyo, sitting on the other side of the room, fighting past a half-dozen jealous stares as she sought out the soothing purple-hued irises of her friend, and found them there, twinkling with the smile alighting the young girl's face. Quickly, Sakura tore her gaze from her friend's, feeling relieved now, and back to her partner, who now looked slightly uncomfortable.

His brows began to pull together as his frown deepened. "Nice to meet you, too."

Tomoyo, and Sakura _knew _that was who it was, giggled softly, and it made her cheeks flush hotly.

Finally...

"... What are you all staring at? Come on now! Let's keep going, as I've said, we don't have all day, and if you and your partner don't finish that packet today, you'll have to finish it on _your own time._" The teacher's voice was awkward and wavered a little as she spoke, but it snapped the class out of their reverie and the day continued like normal.

At least, for everyone who wasn't Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li. They spent the first several moments in an uncomfortable silence, neither exactly knowing what to say - and Sakura a bit intimidated by the overly serious looking teenager in front of her. So they kept eye contact until Sakura couldn't take it any more and looked away, fidgeting with her pencil and keenly aware that he was still watching her.

Finally, her voice seemed to unlock and she set the packet down on his desk. "Well, this is what we're supposed to work on..." She trailed off as she looked up to find him reading over the packet, his frown growing ever deeper and his eyebrows drawing closer together as he read over the multitude of questions on the paper.

Finally, he set the packet down, and looked up to the silent Sakura with an expression that was... puzzled?

She blinked in surprise. "Hoe... is something the matter?"

He looked uncomfortable again, and she watched as his hand convulsed, the confusion twisting into a cold sort of anger. Sakura stepped back, tensing.

"I... have trouble understanding some of the kanji in a Japanese context," He finally confessed, his voice tight, soft, and she noticed he didn't speak with any accent. Odd.

The confession sent a wave of relief from her body, and she visibly slumped before a warm smile spread across her face and she grabbed her desk, turning it around to face his in a way that would surely give any teacher but Spencer-sensei a heart attack. "That's alright, as long as you can speak the language verbally without any problems!"

He nodded in response and she tugged the packet toward her until it was a comfortable distance between the two of them. "First things first..."

-

"So, Tomoyo-chan, did you finish that packet Spencer-sensei gave to us?" Sakura questioned of her best friend as they decided to take their lunch sitting on the cool grass outside, to enjoy the warm, late spring day beneath one of the trees on campus.

The dark-haired girl nodded in affirmation, and looked to her friend. "And did you and Li-kun finish?"

A light blush tinted Sakura's cheeks as she avoided eye contact. "Um, no actually. I had to help him with some of the kanji so... it went rather slowly."

Tomoyo giggled again. "So, what's the plan for finishing it? Whose house are-"

"_Tomoyo-chan,_" Sakura hissed, blushing bright red. "We... actually planned to meet up during lunch today to finish it. It's only about halfway done so far, but hopefully we can finish the rest without having to go anywhere."

Tomoyo nodded absently, her mind obviously plotting _something, _a something that worried Sakura into a nervous, awkward smile. Finally, the dark-haired girl looked to her friend, her eyes sparkling, and asked, "He's cute, though, isn't he?"

The blush came back full force. "No! I mean, well, yes, but no! Tomoyo-chan, I'm not sure what you're planning but-"

A throat clearing interrupted her, and she squeaked, turning around to find the topic of the conversation standing there, watching them both with a blank but steady look.

Sakura tried to keep from making any more embarrassing noises as she looked away from his intense gaze, and allowed Tomoyo to speak for her.

"Hello, Li-kun," the girl responded kindly, and the grass crunched softly as he sat on it. He didn't respond, pulling Sakura's attention back to him as he sat watching her.

She squirmed, a little uncomfortable, and pulled the packet out, flipping it open to the page they were on and set it down on a thick book. "Okay..." She paused, looking up to find that his amber gaze hadn't stopped looking at the top of her head. A blush spread across her face and she forced a very awkward smile. "I-is something the matter, Li-kun?"

He blinked and straightened, as though not expecting her to inquire about him, and finally settled on shaking his head. "How much of the packet do we have left?"

Sakura relaxed slightly and thumbed through the packet, making a face as the page count rose higher and higher. "About half. Oh well, with a little luck this half will go faster than the other since I don't have to..." She trailed off as she watched his eyes narrow, his heated glare successful in completely silencing the girl for a moment. When she could speak again, her voice was high and tight. "Anyway, shall we start again? Alright, this one's easy, finally."

If either of the two teenagers were paying any attention, they might've noticed the way Tomoyo looked back and forth between them as though watching a tennis match as they discussed the questions, content with being a background observer at the moment. The gears in her head were turning, and it was obvious by the way the thoughts pulled the corners of her lips up.

This was going to be _fun._

-

A/N: ... yes indeed this IS going to be fun. Sit back and relax folks, and just see what weird tangent this is going to go on. Because even I don't know.

It'll be a _screaming _good time.

CLAMP owns CCS and the characters and that world and a good chunk of my soul.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day found Sakura furiously scribbling out the last few answers of the English practice packet in the short period between classes as the teachers exchanged between their Classic Japanese Lit teacher and the English teacher. She bustled into the room excitedly, pirouetted and settled behind the podium, setting down yet _another _stack of papers.

"And how is everyone?" She chirped, extremely cheerful for unknown reasons, but continued before anyone could give their response. "Well, I'm going to ruin your good moods! Again!" The class sighed and slumped, staring blankly at their overenthusiastic teacher. "I hope everyone finished their packets because you're going to need them today, _Miss Kinomoto._"

Sakura straightened, not able to control the soft squeak that escaped her throat at being caught just a few letters from finishing the last question. "Y-yes, Spencer-sensei."

The teacher stared at her for a moment, then, like a changing breeze she grinned again. "Anyway, this is how we're going to work this. All of those sentences you've been translating are clues, like a_ scavenger _hunt. Most of the things can be answered by just looking carefully around the school, I'm sure a few of them you all can get right off the tops of your heads, but there are a few things that require... a bit more finesse, a little bit of looking around town. Now, you don't _need _to answer what all of the hints are alluding to, as long as you've got the packet completed, it counts for the full grade, however, if you can get all of the answers, I'll double it. It'll be like doing a whole other, more fun assignment for an easy grade. This could come in handy for some people who are... a bit more forgetful," and her bright blue eyes landed on several people in the classroom, gaze lingering on them until they squirmed. "With their homework. For others, it's a great way to pad your grade early in the year. You probably won't get any more shots like this, so I suggest you take the opportunity as it's presented. For now, everyone hand in their packets so I can look them over them the first half of this period, I'll hand out a worksheet for you all while I do that. For the second half, back to the lesson."

One by one, the students handed their papers in, Sakura making sure to jot down the little remaining on her packet as quickly as possible before handing it up and sighing in relief that the teacher wasn't paying attention to her little moment. She waited for the other paper to be handed out by staring out the window, watching as one of the physical education classes ran laps around the track, and it was then she was aware someone was watching her. Backing up slightly, she let her eyes slide sideways, only to be met by a slightly transparent version of a now familiar pair of brown eyes looking right back at her from the vague reflection of the window.

Immediately her face heated up and she turned back quickly to the front, waiting in the agonizing moments it took for the next sheet of paper to arrive on her desk, knowing _he _was still looking right at her, and she wondered why he had such an interest in her. The rational part of her mind spoke up, in a small, tired voice, telling her that he was probably only watching her because she was_ giving _him something to watch with her strange, erratic actions - things she only did around him. She accepted the idea, if only to keep at bay the other ideas trying to gain her attention - especially the nagging little thought that maybe he did it because he might like her... on some level or another.

Though she tried to chase it away, that particular thought brought another blush to her face. Someone laughed: Tomoyo, again. It didn't help the heat in her cheeks fade at all.

Class ended without any other large events, and Tomoyo was one of the first people up as the bell rang for lunch, first grabbing her partner from the day before - Yamazaki of all people - before striding excitedly over to her best friend's desk.

"Sakura-chan, Yamazaki-kun and I were going to head out after school and attempt to solve some of those questions... and Spencer-sensei never said we couldn't work together... not that she would be able to tell really, but do you want to come with us?" The dark haired girl asked, and Sakura turned, nodding with a wide smile.

"Of course! It's perfect since I don't have practice today," She answered enthusiastically, and noticed, just a second too late that Tomoyo had turned to Syaoran.

"How about you, Li-kun? Want to help us as well? It could also be a good chance to explore the city and get to know it better," Tomoyo finished with a warm smile. Syaoran, halfway standing from his desk paused, eyebrows inching up. He looked from the dark-haired girl to the brunette, watching as she looked away quickly, trying to avoid eye contact, and something in his dark eyes sparkled, twitching the corner of his mouth up just the tiniest bit.

"Sure. Where are we meeting?" He asked, and almost seemed satisfied when Sakura squirmed a little bit, her face coloring.

Tomoyo's eyes glimmered happily, and she managed to wrangle a grin down into a wide smile. "Just in front of the school, by the tree inside the gate."

Syaoran nodded, gathered his things, and stepped out.

Sakura watched him go, eyes lingering just a moment longer than necessary on his retreating form, and on the empty space left as he shut the door behind him.

Tomoyo giggled again, and it snapped the auburn haired girl out of her daze. She blushed furiously and pretended to be extremely interested in fishing her lunch out of her backpack, trying to ignore her best friend.

Then suddenly, a thought crossed her mind, and she looked up to find Tomoyo, still smiling, distractedly pulling her own lunch out. _I wonder what she's planning..._

-

After school couldn't come fast enough for Sakura, the anxious feeling in her stomach that had started when she finally realized the gravity of her situation continued on and on for hours longer than it should have, only increasing as the end of the day drew near.

It didn't help she knew the reason for her tension was sitting right behind her, and he was probably noticing all of it.

The final bell rang, and Sakura all but ran out of the room, knowing everyone was watching her go, but she really needed a moment to get away from the young man who sat behind her, to clear her thoughts and prepare herself for spending the rest of the afternoon with him. She fled into the nearest girl's bathroom, running the cold tap until the water was so cold it hurt to touch, and cupped both hands together under it, gathering a good handful before letting it splash across her face. The sudden chill was a welcome change from all the warm blushes that had crept across her cheeks during the course of the day, and it scattered her thoughts like seeds in a breeze.

_Wake up, wake up. You can't be getting a crush on a guy you met yesterday. He's cute, yes. Okay, you can admit that, but you can't afford this right now, Sakura. You can't. You can't do this... besides, Touya would kill him and..._

But her traitorous thoughts returned to the scenario earlier where he'd looked at her, the corner of his mouth twitching into what she could only assume was an amused smirk, and though she knew it was at her expense for acting so flustered... she couldn't help but think if she'd been standing when he'd done that, she wouldn't have been afterwards.

A low, frustrated groan escaped her throat and she bent back down. Not enough cold water yet.

-

"I wonder what's taking her so long," Yamazaki mused, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched the doorways to the school. "She was the first one out of the classroom, you'd think she'd be the first one out here."

"Maybe she had something else to do?" Syaoran suggested, folding his arms across his chest.

Tomoyo looked thoughtful, then smiled. "I think she's trying to avoid someone."

"Well the school must be mostly empty by now. You'd think whoever it was she wanted away from had left by now," Yamazaki continued. He unfolded his hands and held a single finger up. "I hope she doesn't stay in there until she's the last one. That would be terrible, you know what they say, it's terrible luck to be the last one to leave a school. Some people even disappear and are never heard from again, but no one ever notices it until many years later."

Syaoran blinked and his eyes widened a fraction. "Wha- really? Ah... I'm going to go see if I can find out what's... taking so long."

Tomoyo giggled behind her hand as he turned on the ball of his foot and walked quickly - a bit too quickly - back for the school. "You couldn't resist, could you?"

Yamazaki just smiled and rocked back and forth on his heels.

-

Okay, so her face was pink from the cold and her fingers were starting to get pruney, it was time to stop with the water.

She dried herself off and walked quickly out into the hallway, fully expecting it to be empty since she knew she'd taken a long time in the bathroom, and was feeling bad for making everyone wait so long.

Everyone, including the reason she'd been in the bathroom in the first place.

She walked quickly through the hallways, rounding corners haphazardly, now in a rush to get downstairs and _get this over with. _She rounded the railing to the second flight of stairs, and ran right into something soft yet firm, and warm, something that rebounded with her weight colliding into it... and something that, all at the same time, smelled so wonderfully spicy and... like autumn.

She recoiled, stumbling, and probably would have fallen if not for a strong, warm hand lashing out and grabbing her wrist, steadying her. She looked up, fully ready to apologize to the person she'd just run into, but the words died on her tongue as her eyes landed on Syaoran's. He looked mildly surprised to see she was the one he'd run into. Surprised and...

Relieved?

She didn't get the chance to ponder on it further as she realized, not only had she just been in seriously close contact with him, he was still holding her wrist.

A long "Hooooooeee!" escaped her throat as she snatched her hand from his now loosened grasp and jumped backward, trying to put some comfortable distance between them and fight off _another_ blush all at once. His eyebrows drew together slightly at her reaction, his lips tugging into a frown.

"They're... waiting by the front gate, still," he finally said after a long, awkward pause, and Sakura nodded once, roughly, walking past him, trying to hide the redness in her face with her bangs. Syaoran fell into step neatly behind her, eyes watching the back of her head carefully.

-

"The next one has to be..." Sakura frowned, pulling her bottom lip into her mouth and chewing it thoughtfully. "... I don't know." She sighed, grabbing her hair as she turned back to the rest of her group. It was breezy outside, though most of the wind wasn't so bad, some of the gusts threatened repeatedly to rip the papers she held from her grasp. "Any ideas?"

She didn't notice the hand reaching over her shoulder until something that wasn't the wind gave a firm tug to the papers, taking them. She turned around quickly, frowning when she saw Syaoran looking them over thoughtfully.

"It looks like... it's referring to a place kids would go. Even though the words are dark in meaning. Maybe some place with candy?" He said.

Tomoyo shook her head. "No, I don't think candy would have 'unseeing eyes'..."

He frowned, and then one eyebrow darted up. "How about plush toys?"

Tomoyo brightened, and exchanged a look with Sakura. The two girls simultaneously came to one conclusion. "Twin Bells!"

Sakura turned around, momentarily forgetting her crush, and smiled brightly at Syaoran. "Thanks! I probably would've never thought of it like that... since that was sort of a morbid clue."

Syaoran shook his head, and handed the packet back to her, but as soon as her fingers touched the paper, another gust of wind decided to blow through the area, and the paper cut into her skin. Sakura jerked her hand back out of instinct, and the paper went flying away on the breeze.

Both she and Syaoran started at the same time, but as soon as she noticed not only was the paper heading for the _street,_he was faster than she was.

The gust of wind died down, and the paper landed perfectly in the middle of the closest traffic lane. Syaoran didn't waste any time running right for it.

"Li-kun!" Sakura called after him, and her eyes darted to the traffic light. Alright, so it was red, he could grab it and run back quickly and no harm done. He took a couple more steps and leapt, clearing the hood of a car in one graceful motion.

It was then the observer's eyes were caught by sudden motion in the background, and they found that the light had turned green, and with Syaoran jumping the car's hood he was standing behind, the drivers probably didn't even see him coming. He landed, ducking low behind the car he'd cleared.

A pop like a gun going off sounded, and the first car, also the one in the lane Syaoran had jumped into, jerked suddenly, its tires squealing as it careened off course and into the lane next to it, sideswiping the car in that lane and causing its back end to spin around in an impressive circle, hitting two more cars in the lanes of oncoming traffic before finally coming to a stop.

Time froze for that one instant, as no movement could be seen, from either the cars or from the space Syaoran had previously occupied, and the three teenagers stood, faces pallid with horror as they realized... he'd probably been hit.

Sakura was the first into action, her knees unlocking as she took off in a rapid sprint toward the car Syaoran had disappeared behind, Yamazaki and Tomoyo close behind her. Her mind raced through images of what she might find, preparing herself for the worst, but when she arrived, there was no splatter of blood and thicker things coating the road, no prone, limp body lying on the pavement, eyes glassy and unfocused.

In fact, all that was there were a set of nasty, black skid marks, some shards of broken glass and plastic, and a bit of radiator fluid.

"Wha..." She asked, breathless, her mind still reeling. What had happened? Was he caught between the cars? Where was...

A hand on her shoulder nearly made her jump out of her skin, and she turned around swiftly to find Syaoran standing there, looking a bit confused, holding the packet in one hand.

"It got a little dirty, so it's hard to read the last few questions."

He nearly gets himself killed and _that _was what he had to say?

She couldn't help herself, her mind couldn't handle the shock anymore. She began laughing, laughing until she felt the moisture of tears slipping down her cheeks. Laughing until her knees gave out and she felt a strong arm wrap around her middle, catching her before she could hit the sidewalk, pulling her into the scent of unidentifiable spices, of autumn, of something else _male_ that didn't help the weakness in her knees at all. Nor did the strange, tingling feeling that crawled across her skin, a feeling that, somehow, she knew wasn't entirely a _physical_ sensation.

The poor teenage boy looked between the girl he was supporting and the two others, but found Tomoyo clutching a hand to her chest and smiling in relief, while Yamazaki scratched the side of his head and chuckled softly.

And when it was all over, she backed away from him, a little unsteady, but refused his help again, looking at him with her watery eyes, and a wide, kind smile. "Please don't do that again, Li-kun."

He blinked, and for once it was _his_ cheeks that colored ever so slightly, and he nodded curtly, uncomfortably.

Sakura turned back to the cars, and stiffened again. "Uh oh." She looked at Tomoyo. "Tomoyo-chan, call the police." She took a step forward, but was stopped when a hand grabbed her elbow. She turned back to find Syaoran shaking his head.

"There's nothing you can do," he said, and motioned to the accident. "Look, all of the people are out of their cars, so they must all be fundamentally alright. There's nothing any of us can do right now."

Sakura frowned, and looked back to the accident. The drivers of the cars all seemed to be chatting animatedly as they exchanged their information, but though the conversation was mostly audible, not once did she hear anything about someone darting out into the middle of the road as being the cause. In fact, it sounded like they were talking about a popped tire as being the culprit. Her frown deepened, and she turned back to Syaoran, who was carefully looking the packet over, trying to discern the few clues they had left, and pointing things out to Yamazaki while Tomoyo finished up her conversation with emergency services.

-

A/N: Ahahaha. I think I have a direction. Ready go!


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura bolted stark upright, covered in a thin layer of sweat. She took a moment to slow her breathing, her fluttering heartbeat, to press the back of the collar of her nightshirt against her neck and stop the tickling trickle of water that ran down it. Once that was accomplished, she checked her set of clocks - she kept two due to her poor morning habits - and winced. It was only eleven thirty. She'd been asleep for an hour.

She made a face at the clocks, and realized that her tongue felt dry and thick in her mouth. Slowly, she swung her legs over the edge of her bed and stood, padding silently out her room and toward the kitchen. She noted the television was still on and crept down the stairs with an ease learned from living in the same house her whole life, avoiding the creaking stairs, or stepping on the one tiny spot on the whole stair that would not make a noise. Finally reaching the bottom, she slipped silently through the hall and into the kitchen.

Of course, somehow, the person watching the television managed to catch her.

"I hear a monster out for a midnight snack."

Sakura paused, partway into the kitchen, and rather than taking a step back to see the person addressing her, she merely bent backward, grabbing the corner of the dividing wall to help her keep balance, and frowning at her brother accordingly. "And so what if I am?"

He turned toward her, meeting her frown with one of his own. "Midnight Snacks make you gain weight. And then what would the boys think of you? Especially that one you were hanging all over today."

This time Sakura did stand straight, stepping back to glare at her brother properly. "Hanging all over? What do you mean?"

"That brown-haired brat."

She blinked, eyebrows pulling together. "Li-kun?"

"If that's what you say his name is. I don't like the look of him, he's dangerous, but I can't put my finger on how. And that last name, he's Chinese isn't-"

"_Touya,_" Sakura interrupted with a low, angry voice. "You act like he's my boyfriend or trying to be one or _something._ He's not. I don't know what you saw today, but Li-kun was just my partner in English class. We were finishing an assignment. Nothing more."

Touya looked back at her, eyes narrowing dangerously. "I'm just saying, I don't approve of him, and there's certainly something _more _going on if how you were acting was any indication."

"You don't approve of him?" And her glare intensified, his bantering with her cutting a bit deeper than even she thought it would. "I don't need your _approval._" He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off immediately. "You lost your right to meddle with my love life the day you disappeared off into Tokyo for six months, trying to get back a relationship that _you_ruined."

Gone were the days of her stomping his foot in retort or yelling childishly. The past few months found her matching him verbal barb for verbal barb in their arguments, and sometimes, even exceeding him. She liked to think she'd forgiven him for leaving, but the effects of it still lingered, and sometimes he inadvertently called the remnants of the hurt back.

She turned and walked into the kitchen, leaving him alone in his shocked silence, and snatched a cup from the cupboard before turning the water on as high as it would go, just to drown out any attempt he made at a retort. She stared at the stream, letting her anger flow out with the liquid, and as she did, guilt crept in to fill the empty space. She'd hit him below the belt with that last comment, and she'd hit _hard._ Sighing, she filled the cup, turning down the flow first, then gulping down nearly half of it before returning it to the stream to top it off.

Another sigh, and an about-face as she turned back for returning to her room. She didn't expect Touya to call out for her, and it stopped her so quickly she nearly spilled water on the floor.

Sakura turned to her older brother, and found him looking at her awkwardly, eyebrows up slightly - his method of an apology. She smiled and nodded, accepting it.

"I'm just trying to make sure you don't get hurt," he grumbled after another moment, refusing for the first time in a long time to meet her eyes.

"Nii-chan," she replied, softly, and it brought his attention immediately back upon her. She hadn't called him that since before he'd left for Tokyo. "I know, and I appreciate it. But how am I supposed to learn anything unless I experience it for myself? There's only so much_ you _can do, and you shouldn't spend your entire life worrying so much about me. You have your own life to live. So live it."

Touya turned back to the television with a 'hmph'. "I still don't like him... or anyone."

"I know," Sakura replied cheerfully. "But everything will be alright." She climbed the stairs, leaving well enough alone for the moment, and padded back into her room.

She winced as she passed her father's bedroom door, and strained to listen for any activity from within. Hopefully her and Touya's argument hadn't awoken him. He was in the middle of some important research, and was getting up early every morning to continue it, she'd hate to have awoken him because of bickering with her brother. When no sounds came forth, her smile widened just a bit, and she retreated back into her room.

-

"I hope all of you who decided to pursue the double points are ready with your assignments, as they are due today," Spencer-sensei proclaimed immediately upon entering. She set a surprisingly small stack of papers and a heavy book on the podium and looked the class over thoroughly with sharp blue eyes. "The rest of you - tough luck. Today we get to do some happy textbook work."

The class groaned, this time actually meaning it.

"Those of you who finished, hand the sheets in," the teacher continued, and her blue eyes stopped on the far right of the room, closest to the windows. There, second seat from the back, an auburn-topped head was drooping dangerously close to the desk beneath it. A wicked gleam lit in those blue depths, and the teacher picked the heavy textbook up, silently gliding down the aisle until she was standing next to Sakura's desk. She held the book out, letting it hover above the desk by a good span. And then she dropped it.

It hit the desk with a snapping thud so loud it echoed into the hallway, and brought the occupant of the desk fully upright, nearly screaming out a "Hooooeee!!"

"Your paper, Kinomoto," the blonde woman stated angrily in English, one hand resting on the cover of the book, the other hand clenched into a fist and sitting on her hip.

The color returned to Sakura's face, and then some, turning into a deep blush as she bowed her head and handed the papers to the teacher, who took them, picked up the book, and just about _skipped _back to the podium. "Turn to page one hundred sixteen." Her voice was back to chipper.

Sakura sighed heavily, pulling her book from her backpack - she hadn't before - and opened it to the ordered page. The adrenaline was leaving her body now, and it was making her almost more tired than she had been before.

"Are you alright?"

The question came from the one direction she never expected it to; behind her.

She straightened in surprise, then turned enough to catch a flash of brown in her peripheral vision before nodding. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly and she felt her face heating up. "I'm okay, Li-kun, thank you. I didn't get much sleep." She smiled through her blush, hoping it would reassure him.

And keep him from staring at her more.

He seemed to accept her answer and turned back to the textbook, and she hers.

The bell rang in the middle of the teacher going on a long soliloquy about the different forms of 'there', and she pouted at the clock before allowing the class to end and everyone to go for lunch.

Tomoyo quickly arrived at her best friend's side, looking the auburn haired girl over worriedly. "Sakura-chan is something the matter?"

Sakura gave the other girl a weak smile, slowly depositing the rest of her books in her bag. "No, I'm alright, really. I just didn't sleep so well last night."

"Well, why don't we head outside for some fresh air. Maybe that'll help wake you up some more," Tomoyo suggested, and smiled. Sakura nodded, grabbing her lunch and walking with the other girl outside.

They sat beneath their usual tree behind the school. It overlooked the track and soccer field, where several students had set up an impromptu game, and was far enough out of the way it afforded a good deal of privacy. Which was just what Tomoyo wanted as she began grilling her best friend as soon as they had sat upon the grass.

"So what kept you up last night? Touya? Or were you thinking a bit too much about our cute new transfer student?" Tomoyo finished with a giggle.

Sakura started, blushing as she stared intently down at her bento. "No... I kept... dreaming. The same thing, every time I closed my eyes. Well, not the same thing, each time was a little different, but the subject seemed to be the same. It's hard to explain, and I can't remember the details exactly, but the whole time... all I can remember is I kept waking up and thinking that something, somewhere is going terribly wrong. And even though I don't know what it is, I know it's somehow tied to me."

"That's odd..." Tomoyo began, trailing off as she, too looked intently at her lunch, as though the food would somehow hold all the answers to the universe.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. I wish I could remember what happened in the dreams. But I... I can't remember anything."

"Well, hopefully tonight you can get a full night's rest - there hasn't been much homework so far, so with a little luck the rest of the day will continue similarly," the dark-haired girl noted, plucking an onigiri from inside her beautiful and elaborate lunch box and biting into it thoughtfully.

Emerald green eyes narrowed slightly as Sakura winced. "... This... isn't the first night this has happened, Tomoyo-chan. It's been happening... for the past few days, actually. It just hasn't been so much of a problem until last night. It keeps... getting worse."

Tomoyo blinked in surprise, eyebrows inching up. "Really?"

Another nod. "Y-yeah. I'm... kind of afraid what's going to happen tonight."

The dark haired girl drew her lower lip into her mouth and chewed on it thoughtfully. Suddenly she brightened. "You know what? I think we should take a shopping trip after school!"

Sakura was forced to double-take. "Hoe... a what?!"

"Well, you had a stressful day yesterday. Worrying about finishing that packet, not to mention when Li-kun ran out into the street to get it back after the wind had taken it. Your brain probably still hadn't recovered from all the things that had happened, and took the opportunity of sleep to try to sort it out. So we'll have a nice, stress-free afternoon and see if we can not fix it! My treat."

There was a long moment where the only sound was the small crowd cheering on the soccer game, and the light rustle of leaves as the light afternoon breeze played through the branches of the tree. Finally, Sakura laughed.

"All right. We'll go shopping. But-" she interrupted her best friend just as the girl opened her mouth. "You've gotta let me pay for _something._ Maybe whatever we decide to eat?" There was no arguing to allow her to pay for the shopping itself, Sakura knew, but she could always compromise. It was one of those things she'd learned - Tomoyo would definitely pay for _everything._

Tomoyo nodded enthusiastically. "And there's this amazing store in the mall that just opened about a month ago. I hate to say it, but some of the outfits would look _great_ on you."

The auburn-haired girl winced again, cringing a bit internally though she hid it with a smile. Tomoyo and clothes... the girl was far too obsessed sometimes.

A flash in her peripheral vision caught Sakura's attention and she turned to find Syaoran turning the corner toward the front of the school. Her face couldn't decide if it wanted to blush or frown, and opted to do both, odd as it was. She hadn't seen him before then... had he been watching them?

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, and forced herself to enjoy the rest of her quiet lunch with her best friend.

-

The final bell rang and the usual clamber of students leaving echoed through the hallways. Tomoyo suddenly remembered she'd left something in the choir room and said she'd meet up with Sakura by the front doors of the school in a few minutes. Sakura agreed, and a few minutes later found herself gathering her outside shoes from the lockers in the front lobby of the school before stepping out into the fresh spring air. A light breeze picked up, teasing through her hair and delivering the sweet scent of cherry blossoms to her nose from the nearby trees. They couldn't have asked for a better day to be outside shopping.

She wasn't sure what it was that caught her attention, it wasn't so much as she saw Syaoran as she _felt_ him standing there - and she wasn't sure either why she knew, so firmly, it was him. She let a soft 'hoe' escape her lips as her eyes landed on him. He stood leaning against the gate to the school, arms crossed, head down, eyes closed. At least, until it seemed he sensed someone looking at him. Except, when he raised his head, he looked directly at her, without needing to search her out of the crowd of students still leaving. Slowly, he pushed himself from the wall and began to approach, walking easily against the stream of bodies exiting the school. He wasn't focusing on her anymore, instead he seemed to be staring very pointedly at the doors behind her, but as he passed by her, his eyes snapped on to her form.

"Be wary of your dreams. They can be the most dangerous things of all."

Then he was gone, back into the school. Sakura blinked, and suddenly released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, letting the tension ease out of her body with it. When she finally turned around, she couldn't see Syaoran in the lobby of the school, but she did spot Tomoyo changing her shoes out. A moment later, the two friends met up, and the bright smile faded from Tomoyo's lips upon seeing the distressed look on Sakura's face.

"What's the matter Sakura-chan?" She asked, reaching out and taking her best friend's hand.

"... I..." Sakura replied, puzzlement glimmering in her green eyes. "I'm not sure." She frowned, pondering Syaoran's words for a moment, before she saw just how worried Tomoyo looked. She shoved the thoughts aside and squeezed the other girl's hand reassuringly, smiling genuinely. "I'll be alright."

They spent the rest of the day enjoying the wonderful weather and loading themselves down with bags upon bags of clothing and other products, eating an early dinner at a small but exquisite local restaurant, and then returning to finish off the evening with _more_ shopping.

Finally, exhausted, they both dragged themselves into the back seat of a large black car, as the driver finished loading their bags into the trunk before taking his place in the front seat and heading toward Sakura's home.

"Tomoyo-chan," the auburn haired girl laughed. "You didn't have to call one of your chauffeurs. I would've been fine walking."

"With all those heavy bags?" Tomoyo replied incredulously. "No no, that's not for a lady to carry herself. Now, if we'd had a nice, strong guy with us..." She smirked at her friend who blushed, knowing _exactly_ who would be first to pop up in her mind. "I might've been okay with walking. As it is, we drive. Besides, if we're out too late, Touya will start to worry."

Sakura made a face at the mention of her brother's overprotectiveness. "Alright."

They made small talk for the rest of the journey home and Sakura dragged her bags upstairs to her room, setting them all down next to her closet. It was late, she was tired - she'd figure out what to do with the clothes in the morning or after school or something.

She changed for bed, settling herself beneath her thin summer comforter and staring at her ceiling, letting her mind wind down from the day's events. Now that she had nothing else to preoccupy her, Syaoran's words from earlier kept playing through her mind.

_What could he have meant?_

She frowned and turned over on to her side, looking out the large window opposite her, next to her desk. Only a small spatter of stars could be seen in the sky from the city's light pollution, the waning moon but a sliver amongst the darkness. Her eyes locked on to that tiny crescent of silver light, before her eyelids began to droop.

..._How... are dreams... dangerous?_

She didn't get a chance to answer herself - she was asleep.

And the dreams began again.

_Bright, blinding light. Intense heat... where was she?_

_People surrounded her. People she didn't know. But she didn't mind._

_Heat. Light. Something warm surrounded her, something that should've been uncomfortable, but was anything but._

Green eyes drifted open, before narrowing uncomfortably. They made a quick glance at the clock, and narrowed even farther. Only an hour. Back to sleep.

_Cold. Now it was cold. But that same warmth from earlier was with her. She was surrounded by people again. People she didn't know. But this time it was scary. She didn't know _any _of them. Even the one who was warm._

Open again. It was three in the morning. No, she couldn't be doing this again.

_A face she knew stared at her, smiling warmly._

_A face she knew stared at her, smiling coldly._

_A face she knew stared at her, with no expression at all. And that was the most frightening one._

... five o'clock... an hour and a half until she had to wake up.

_The warmth was leaving, draining. It was back with a flash. Gone. Back. Gone. Back._

"_You have to wake up!"_

She twitched in her sleep, then exploded awake, tumbling out of bed weakly. She hit the ground with a thud, hearing her knee pop upon hitting the ground. But she couldn't feel the pain - her whole body was numb. She tried to move, but though her mind seemed to be awake, her body still dragged. Nothing moved, though she tried for a long moment, until finally she managed to move her arms down and slowly push herself up.

She didn't even remember how her day at school went, eating dinner and retiring to bed immediately afterward, too tired to keep awake any longer.

She awoke at four o'clock on the floor near her open window, in her brother's arms, screaming for someone to come back, and not even knowing who. He wouldn't tell her when she asked.

The next day at school she vaguely remembered because she could feel Syaoran's eyes on her the entire day, though he never approached her. Again she went to bed early in the day, again she woke in the middle of the night, but this time something was different. The current stream of nightmares seemed to be over - there was no violence, no fire, no people screaming and dying. No sharp pain of the contact of... something against her skin. Just a cold, lonely emptiness, an endless sort of despair.

What was going on with her dreams? She felt like she was watching someone else's life flash before her eyes.

There was no school the next day, perhaps this would help her - she could sleep as long as she needed and regain her strength.

She slept for two hours, and awoke so afraid for something - _someone_- that she couldn't return to slumber. She spent the entire next day in bed, staring at her ceiling, her wall, out her window, and occasionally down at the pillow, too tired to sleep. Too afraid of what she would see when she closed her eyes.

Night came, and sleep grabbed her against her will, pulled her under and into the realm of dreams again.

_A battle raged. Lightning and fire tore through the air, tore the combatants apart._

_She didn't know who should win._

_No._

_Neither of them could lose, that was the problem._

_Neither could... lose. There was too much at stake. They shouldn't have been fighting in the first place._

_Thunder ripped through ears, through bones, through soul._

And Sakura woke up screaming again, Touya and her father both practically breaking down her door in their rush to get to her. She sat sobbing on her bed, numb to the world, ignoring the questions sent her way. All she could do was cry.

_What was happening to her...?_

School was hell, up until English. Spencer-sensei had sent her to the nurse's clinic in the middle of class after yelling at her for several long moments for falling asleep _again_. Then the teacher seemed to realize or remember there was something severely wrong, and ordered her to go rest in the clinic and see a doctor about her sleeping problem as soon as possible.

Syaoran, from the corner of the room, had snorted irritatedly, and commented about how that wouldn't help anything. He seemed on edge lately, she'd noticed. Normally quiet and unattached, he now seemed to make it a point not to let anyone get near him, and being extremely cold to anyone who tried.

Maybe he wasn't getting enough sleep either?

Spencer-sensei had ushered Sakura out of the room, then gone back in to give Syaoran a thorough inquisition.

_... What does he know that I don't? _She thought, laying in the extremely sterile smelling bed, staring at the ceiling, watching as her sleep deprived mind made the tiny cracks and patterns in the ceiling panels swirl and twist around each other, as little black spots danced in the corners of her vision.

She could try to sleep, but it wouldn't do any good. So she laid, and staredat the ceiling, watched as the inanimate objects danced and played, watched as colored dots and lights, and the occasional semi-invisible shape floated across her vision.

Sakura didn't even realize how much time had passed until the final bell rang for school, and the halls filled with the sound of students rushing home. Slowly she dragged her numb body from the uncomfortable mattress and stiffly made her way to her locker, then outside. Absently, she waddled more than walked through the gates of the school, but was stopped as a strong presence _appeared _in front of her. She lifted her head - now feeling as though it weighed ten times what it did normally - to find Syaoran standing there in front of her.

But he didn't look angry as he had the past few days. In fact, he looked...

Well, she couldn't tell what he looked exactly, as her vision swam in and out of focus. The harder she tried to concentrate, the more black would edge in the corners of her eyes, threaten to pull her mind under.

"Kinomoto."

The sound of her name sent a tingle across her skin, though she wasn't quite sure if she was imagining the reaction or not. Maybe the wind had picked up and she just couldn't feel it.

"Sakura," she corrected without even realizing she had.

Syaoran's eyebrows pulled up, then separated into a perplexed look.

She shook her head and immediately regretted it, as it felt that one simple motion had sent her brain loose and spinning in her head. Finally, she took a step forward, and Syaoran had to fight the urge to step back accordingly, even managing to keep standing straight as she leaned forward, staring up his chin and in to his eyes.

"Li-kun..." He grimaced as her emerald eyes began to shimmer, welling up with tears, and she grabbed the hem of his shirt. "What... what's happening? Why... do I keep... having these dreams? Please tell me... I need..."

She didn't finish her sentence, her eyelids dropped shut allowing the tears to spill forth, and Sakura collapsed, the darkness finally claiming her vision. Except it wasn't black anymore - it was a warm, green light she fell into.

-

A/N: This chapter took far longer than I ever wanted it to. Stupid pacing -pouts-. Anyway, the next chapter should be a bit quicker on the uptake. xp


	4. Chapter 4

Dim light squeezed in through the narrow crack in the heavy drapes, the small sliver alighting on a pair of closed eyes. The eyebrows above said eyes twitched, drawing together slightly, before emerald irises were slowly revealed to the dark room.

Sakura stared flatly at the window across from her, and sluggishly noticed it wasn't the one in her bedroom.

_Must be dreaming again..._

She sighed and closed her eyes again, feeling the dizzying pull of sleep slowly getting more persuasive as she snuggled into what she was laying on. It couldn't be a bed, she noted, almost as an afterthought. Beds didn't radiate their own warmth. Nor... did they make sound, like this one did, a soft, steady thumping near her downturned ear.

_A... pulse?_

She didn't think any more of it, as everything went black again.

No more dreams would plague her that night.

-

Once again light fell across Sakura's eyes, but this time it wasn't the gentle glow of the moon and the streetlights outside - this time it was the glaring brightness of the midday sun. She let a low whine and batted at the sun as though it were an animate object to be pushed out of her gaze, but when that failed she finally grumbled incoherently and cracked her eye open.

She really _wasn't_ in her bedroom, she was, in fact, lying on a very familiar couch in what could only be Tomoyo's house. Confused, she looked around, wondering if she was dreaming again, but if the way her neck throbbed every time she tried to turn it to the right was any indication, she was very much awake.

Quickly, her eyes scanned the walls for the ancient clock that never seemed to be in the same place twice, and when her mind finally translated the position of the hands and the old roman numerals, she nearly fell off the couch.

"Hooooeee!"

It was one o'clock in the afternoon. On a school day.

She got off the couch so fast her legs tangled in the blanket and she was sent sprawling on to the ground.

"Owww..." she grumbled, slowly prying her eyes back open, just in time to see one of the maids in the house rush into the room.

"Kinomoto-san are you alright?" the maid asked, worridly as she helped Sakura disentangle herself from the blanket.

"I-I-I-..." she scrambled upright and looked around frantically. She was still wearing her school uniform so maybe her bag was around somewhere. "I was supposed to be at school today and and..."

"Kinomoto-san," the maid's gentle voice broke her from her panic momentarily. "It's already been taken care of. You've been excused for the day."

"... Hoe...?" Sakura blinked, tilting her head slightly. "Wait... why am I in Tomoyo-chan's house?"

"I heard you had collapsed from exhaustion at school, there was no one at your home and they couldn't find your keys, so they brought you here," the maid replied, folding the blanket neatly and setting it on the arm of the couch. "Tomoyo-san then called your house sometime last night and told your father and brother you were going to spend the night here."

"They...? Tomoyo-chan's bodyguards?"

The maid shook her head. "No, Tomoyo-san arrived with another of your classmates..." She furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Li-kun I believe she called him. He was carrying you on his... back..." The sentence trailed off as Sakura's face slowly got more and more red until the girl stumbled back onto the couch. "Ah... Kinomoto-san... Are you alright? Can I get you some water or something?"

Sakura shook her head, not trusting her voice as she shrunk into herself, pulling her knees up and burying her face in them, trying to hide the dark blush. "I... thank you."

The maid nodded. "Oh, I've been told to get you lunch after you woke up, so I'll be back." She bowed once and left the room, leaving Sakura alone with her thoughts.

_Oh... dear..._

She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut until tiny, multicolored dots filled her vision. The maid returned a few minutes later, and Sakura relished in the opportunity to occupy her mind with things other than the fact _Syaoran had carried her all the way to Tomoyo's house._

After eating she quietly excused herself to go home, politely declining an offer to stay until a doctor could check on her condition or at least until Tomoyo got back - she was embarrassed enough. She walked as quickly as her flustered mind pushed her to go, arriving to an empty home and a note from her father explaining he'd be home late, research to do - and that Touya would be out working as well. She had the next several hours to herself to do... well, what, she didn't know; she rarely had this much spare time. She settled on watching television for a short while before Tomoyo called, and their conversation consisted mostly of Sakura asking the other girl if it was true, she'd been carried all the way to Tomoyo's house on Syaoran's back, and the other girl answering to the affirmative, only to launch into a discussion that had Sakura turning progressively darker shades of red.

For once, Sakura was glad when Touya arrived home. It was the perfect excuse to get away from her friend's teasing as she hung up with the excuse of having to help make dinner.

She went to bed that night flustered, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

-

Sakura arrived early the next day at school, but not because she didn't sleep the previous night - quite the contrary, she seemed to have slept so much she couldn't anymore. The dreams also seemed to stay away though they felt like they were trying to seep in, but couldn't. Almost as if something was keeping them at bay.

She sat alone in the silence of the room, too lost in thought for the first few minutes to realize... she was alone in a classroom, with no one else around. Then it began to sink in, and she began to get nervous. What if there was a ghost out still wandering the halls?

The thought was enough to quicken her breathing and cause her to glance around the room nervously. Maybe coming in early wasn't such a good idea.

The door clacked open, and Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin with a screech. She turned rapidly to find Syaoran standing in the doorway, staring at her as though she'd startled him as he had startled her.

"Uh - ah... Good morning, Li-kun," She called cheerfully, but still not able to hide the nervous waver in her voice.

He nodded stiffly and replied with a gruff, "Good morning." Before walking to his desk and sitting down. An uncomfortable silence descended upon the room until Sakura, seized by a sudden fit of courage, turned to face him. He blinked, surprised and watched her inquisitively.

"I... just wanted to thank you, Li-kun," she said after a moment, her voice tight, her cheeks darkening.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Thank me?"

Her blush turned several shades darker. "Uh... for the other day. You... you carried me to Tomoyo-chan's house didn't you?"

This time she watched as the barest shade of pink bloomed over his cheeks, the tops of his ears. He stared very intently at his notebook for a moment before replying. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly, leaning over the back of her chair to grab his hand. "You could've done any number of things to leave me there or not help at all. But you didn't..." She gave him a gentle smile. "Thank you, really. For being such a nice person."

This time it was he who turned a deep shade of pink, but as he looked up at her face, his mouth stretched into a smile that made her heart skip a beat - wry though it was. "Well, I wasn't given much of a choice with you practically falling asleep _on_me."

Sakura squeaked and let go of his hand to bury her face in her own, trying to hide the dark blush on her cheeks.

Several long moments of awkward silence passed, before Sakura remembered she had something to ask him.

"Um, Li-kun can I ask you..." She muttered softly after a moment, almost as though she didn't want him to hear. He looked up at her, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

She swallowed hard and turned to look at him. "What do you know about the dreams I've been having?"

He looked a little taken aback, leaning backwards slightly as his eyebrows rose at her inquiry. Finally, he settled back forward, face scrunched in thought, but just as he was going to open his mouth to answer her, the classroom door clacked open and a group of students strode inside, chatting amongst themselves noisily.

Sakura sighed and went to turn back to the front - he wouldn't answer her now, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her immediately, and her head whirled back around.

"It's going to take a while to explain," he replied quietly. "I don't even think lunch will be able to cover it." He trailed off, as though unsure how to ask the next question. "Do you have practice after school?"

Sakura blinked, then tilted her head thoughtfully. "No, I don't."

Syaoran nodded and released her shoulder before sitting back in his desk. Half or so of the students had already filled the room, he probably wouldn't speak anymore that day, but all he needed to say had already been conveyed in his simple question.

Sakura sighed heavily, letting her head droop to within an inch of her desk, hoping her side bangs would be enough to hide her blushing face. It was going to be another one of those long days.

-

As expected, as soon as Sakura stepped out of the school, she felt a familiar presence, and her eyes immediately trained themselves to the right side of the gate where Syaoran stood, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, head down.

She walked slowly, carefully, as though debating whether or not to walk right past him and save herself from the twisting anxiety in her stomach. But she needed to know, and her chance was lost as Syaoran's head tilted up and he watched her approach. She stopped a few feet away from him, and they stood in an awkward silence, each waiting for the other to say something.

Finally, Syaoran let a low sigh and looked out of the school gates. "Is there somewhere around here... with a little less traffic?"

Sakura stiffened a bit, surprised by the sound of his voice, before nodding. "Yeah, Penguin Park. As long as we avoid the playground there shouldn't be too many people."

Syaoran nodded in understanding, and another long, awkward pause followed, stretching out until Sakura realized he was waiting for her to lead the way. Ignoring the heat rising in her cheeks she nodded her head toward the park and turned to begin walking, Syaoran pushing himself off the wall and falling into step next to her. The silence this time wasn't quite as tense as before, though Sakura couldn't help but feel awkward every time she felt him looking over at her. What bothered her more, though, was she _knew_when he was doing it, though she couldn't see him.

They finally arrived at a small bench on a rarely used path, and both sat on it. The silence got tense again, testing them both, waiting for one or the other to break. Or at least, that's what Sakura thought, though Syaoran didn't look quite as uncomfortable as she felt. Finally, she spoke. "You know..." And watched as he jumped at the sound of her voice, before turning to look at her. "You seem to be sort of a quiet guy - and I don't mean to sound like I'm making assumptions about you, I don't know you so well after all, so I don't know if that's just how you are in class - but it's easier if you just say what you want."

He frowned, then cocked an eyebrow at her, to which her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink.

"I just mean... like earlier, at the gate. It probably would've been easier just to tell me to lead the way than... yeah," she trailed off as she saw his gaze narrow and, blushing more furiously than ever, waved her hands frantically. "I-I-I don't mean to criticize your actions but it... I... it's alright to ask for things like that, people aren't as judgmental as others think..." Syaoran snorted and looked away, and Sakura felt her chest tighten painfully. "... I'm sorry."

He didn't respond, and her chest throbbed, winding even tighter. Emerald eyes looked down to where her hands clenched deathly tight to each other, knuckles white. He was such an enigma to her - he made her feel... slightly frightened, anxious, nervous, happy, and warm all at once, and she could not put her finger on how he managed to do it other than simply being present. She sat silently, unclenching her hands and fiddling with the hem of her skirt as she tried to figure the whole situation out.

Syaoran's voice, when he spoke, made her flinch rather than jump in surprise. "You wanted to know about the dreams you've been having?"

Sakura looked up at him while he spoke, then lowered her gaze and nodded.

He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly before tilting his head back to stare at the sky. "What do you know about magic?"

Sakura blinked in confusion, then frowned as she tried to think of her answer. "Um, well, not a whole lot, except what Naoko-chan says when she's talking about all the fantasy books she reads."

Syaoran sighed, but nodded. "What do you know about dreamseers?"

She answered him with a confused look. "Dreamseers?"

"Dreamseers," the brown-haired boy repeated, his amber eyes locking to Sakura's emerald green. "Those that can tell the future through their dreams."

"What...?"

"But, the more powerful ones can do more than just get premonitions," he continued, ignoring her question. "More powerful ones can see the past, the present. They can see beyond this world."

"Li-kun..."

"They can also see more vividly - to the point where it becomes almost as though they are the person in the vision. The most powerful ones become a part of the prophecy themselves; and that's extremely dangerous if the person they are Seeing dies."

"Li-kun!"

He paused, turning to her, frowning at her interruption, and at the fact she was staring at him like he'd sprouted several extra limbs.

"Li-kun what are you talking about? That's just stuff of fantasy stories," she explained, not having the heart to tell him things like that weren't real - she knew how into her own fantasies Naoko could get, and she didn't doubt Syaoran was the same way... Except where Naoko could call her little daydreams silly and unreal, Syaoran seemed to firmly believe every word he was saying. It scared her a little.

He turned to her, frowning deeply, before standing up and motioning for her to do the same. She timidly obliged, wondering what he was planning. He stepped forward, and in one swift motion had grabbed her wrist. His grip wasn't too tight, nor did he make any attempt to get any physically closer to her, but she was suddenly very uncomfortable all the same.

Sakura was just about to open her mouth to ask him what he was doing, when she suddenly felt it - something warm, something that tingled as it shot up her arm, _through _her arm, surging into her chest and wrapping around... well... _something_ inside her. She gasped, looking up to find Syaoran with his eyes closed, brows furrowed in concentration. She watched as his hair was tousled to and fro, before realizing her own hair was caught in the breeze as well. Except... she couldn't feel any wind. She looked around wildly - the bushes behind the bench they had been sitting on were being buffeted around, but as she whipped her head in the opposite direction, she realized none of the shrubbery on that side was being touched at all.

A crackle brought her attention back to the fore and her eyes widened farther upon realizing the air between her and Syaoran was alive, buzzing with electricity, and that Syaoran was being outlined in a bright green light. Her eyes traveled down to where their hands gripped each other - when had she grabbed him? - and noticed the bright white light at that contact point, one which faded to pink the farther up her arm her eyes traveled. Her eyes traveled farther up her arm, until she was finally staring right down at her feet.

Her feet... weren't touching the ground anymore.

"Hooooeeee!" she squealed, finally regaining enough of her senses to kick her feet, trying to make the swirling green light beneath them go away. Slowly, it faded, and she drifted back to the ground as the tingling receded from her body, leaving her muscles weak. Her knees gave out as soon as they were given weight to bear, and Syaoran used his grip on her wrist to force her weight to shift so she fell heavily onto the bench rather than onto the ground.

Sakura sat, pale and shaken for the next long span of minutes, eyes clenching shut as she curled into herself while Syaoran stood above her, watching her, face expressionless. Finally, he took a deep breath, and asked her softly, "Would you like something to drink?"

Emerald eyes immediately shot open, and Sakura looked at the young man opposite her for a moment, eyes still blank, dazed, before she began patting down her uniform. "Oh I... I don't have any change."

Syaoran was forced to do a double take, eyes blinking rapidly as he stared at the auburn-haired girl. "Don't worry about it. I've got plenty of change."

Sakura turned away from him, looking a little embarrassed before she nodded. "Juice... it doesn't matter what kind... ah - as long as that's alright with you."

The young male's chocolate-brown topped head nodded once, quickly, before he turned on the ball of his foot and left with barely a noise. He was doing it to give her some time alone - something she realized, absently, as soon as he had disappeared around a bend in the path.

She raised her hand - the one he had grabbed - to eye level and examined it carefully. There were no marks, no signs that whatever he'd been doing to her earlier were physical. She glanced down the path. Something in her wanted to run, run away because what had just happened was, frankly, quite frightening and so very out of the ordinary. But the rest of her wanted Syaoran to return, wanted to ask him all the questions that were now spinning through her mind. Wanted to ask him why it felt so_ righ_t, why she was now so relieved, like some locked door had been opened and let whatever was in it escape.

The bushes rustled, and Sakura sighed, setting her hand back down in her lap, and trying to organize her thoughts; or at least find the most important questions among the maelstrom to ask. The bushes rustled again, and suddenly Sakura felt like someone had placed a cold, wet cloth on her back.

She jumped forward and whirled around, just in time to see the flash of a silver blade hit the bench where she'd been sitting previously, splitting the entire thing in half with a single, clean cut.

The blade repositioned, the bushes settled, and then in a flash whatever was within them suddenly _wasn't,_ a black and silver flash the only thing Sakura saw as she suddenly dodged to the side, feeling the blade whizz by inches from her ear. The black-clad... _thing..._ that was attacking her pivoted on its foot and lunged again, aiming another quick jab for her throat. She moved again, bending backward far enough she nearly lost her balance, and as she did so, she felt the thing that was attacking her hit her foot, tripping itself up and falling to the ground.

She took the opportunity then to begin running, fleeing in the direction she'd last seen Syaoran going. Around a corner she ran, when she suddenly felt the familiar sensation she got every time she knew Syaoran was near her, and doubled her pace, hoping and praying that her instincts were right.

Around another corner and there he was, watching her, confused, a beverage can in either hand. Suddenly his eyes darted from her form, looking beyond her shoulder at what must have been the thing that attacked her, and suddenly his look turned grim. He dropped what he was holding in his right hand and withdrew what appeared to be a pendant on a red string, holding it up in front of his face. A flash of light, and suddenly the pendant and string were attached to the hilt of a sword.

A sword.

Sakura couldn't decide whether to laugh or cheer, but regardless she pushed herself that much harder, trying to reach him. He'd help, right?

Syaoran's sword flashed as he extended it straight outward - the tip pointing directly for Sakura's face.

She stumbled to a halt, confused and scared, looking up the reflective silver length and into Syaoran's eyes. He looked... resigned. A little disappointed. And a dozen other things she couldn't put her finger on.

"Kinomoto Sakura," he stated finally, his voice tinged with... regret? Her heart leapt into her throat, as something cold and heavy settled in her stomach. "Your life as you know it... is now over."

-

A/N: C-C-C-C-C-Cliffhangar! xp


	5. Chapter 5

"Duck."

"Wha-"

"DUCK!"

She didn't so much duck per his request as her knees suddenly went weak, and she stumbled forward, just as he drew his sword back and thrusted it quickly, the metal hissing through the air just above her head. Something hot and sticky and wet splashed along her back, soaking into her clothes, splattering against her legs as she fell forward, right into Syaoran's arm. Her hands instinctively grabbed on to his shirt as she fought to keep from falling to the ground.

Already the liquid covering her back was drying, turning cold and sticky. She turned slightly to look up at Syaoran, and winced at the way he stared coldly at the body she knew now laid on the ground, flecks of crimson marking his face.

_Blood..._

Her muscles tensed, her back straightening as she attempted to turn around, to verify that there would be a dead body laying on the ground, that Syaoran had just _killed someone, _but a hand suddenly grabbed the back of her head and pulled her face against the hollow of his neck; she was left dizzy and warm and completely distracted by his scent and their proximity... and by the harsh blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Don't look..." he murmured softly, and she could hear the edge of sadness his voice had taken on. She complied, hesitantly, her curiosity at its peak and so very hard to fight against. Slowly, Syaoran stepped backward, slipping his hand from behind her head and down to her back, and Sakura halted the soft whimper that threatened to escape her at the loss of the warmth.

Gently, he pushed her forward, and she walked, keeping her head down, hands wringing together as he stepped into place silently beside her, his hand still resting on her back. Sakura noted, distractedly, his sword seemed to have disappeared, though blood remained coating his fingers.

No words were spoken between the two teenagers as they left the park, Sakura's mind too distracted to notice where Syaoran was leading her until she realized they were standing in the deserted hallway of their school, near the set of bathrooms closest to the door. She gave him an inquisitive look and he nodded to the doorways.

"Walking through the streets covered in blood would draw a lot of attention," he offered by means of an explanation.

Finally, Sakura found her voice. "What about the body?"

Syaoran shook his head. "It disappeared a few seconds after I... stabbed it. The blood will remain, but the body is gone." His look softened as he watched his companion flinch. He felt something cold inside his chest, and it took him several moments to realize it was guilt.

Hiding her eyes beneath the fringe of her bangs, Sakura turned quickly and stepped into the bathroom, checking to make sure no one else was using it before turning on the tap and allowing the water to run until its coldest. Quickly, she stuck her hands beneath the stream and let the shock of cold water clear her thoughts. She removed the blood from her skin as best she could, but found it would not come out so easily from the white shirt of her uniform. Frowning she decided to try to work with what she had and stepped out of the bathroom.

Syaoran, predictably, was waiting for her. What she didn't anticipate was for him to hold the shirt of his uniform out to her as she stepped through the doorway. He was wearing a black t-shirt now, his undershirt, and it didn't seem to have been touched by the blood. The shirt he held did, and he seemed to notice it a moment later with a frown. "I managed to wash some of it off, and the uniform is dark enough you can't see the blood, but if you'd prefer a clean shirt I can just take this shirt off and wear the uniform top."

The image of a shirtless Syaoran flashed through Sakura's mind, and though she couldn't deny it was an appealing image, she wouldn't let him go through so much trouble. She answered with a hasty, "No, it's alright! I'll take the uniform shirt. It seems longer and will probably cover the back of my skirt better!"

Syaoran nodded. "That's what I thought, too." He held the shirt out and Sakura took it, gently slipping it on her shoulders and fumbling with the buttons, hands shaking. Finally done, she let her hands bunch up the fabric near the buttons, trying to use the cloth to stop the tremors, but that just seemed incentive for them to travel up her arms and into the rest of her body, until finally she stood hunched over, shaking so badly it was hard for her to stand.

Amber eyes watched her form carefully, the conflict Syaoran feeling quite evident in his gaze. He had four sisters, had been raised by his mother, and spent most of his childhood in the company of his female cousin; he had grown up completely surrounded by girls and yet he_still _had no idea what to do in most situations involving them. This one was proving to be particularly maddening: especially since his brain had adopted the ridiculous notion that he should pull the girl up against him. He kept trying to dismiss the thought, citing several good reasons why it was a bad idea, but it kept coming back, riding on the thick silence between the two teenagers.

Finally, Syaoran decided to end the silence, and with it his traitorous thoughts. Except... he couldn't figure out how to word the next question without it being able to be interpreted in all the wrong ways. Well, he had to say _something._ "Would you like me to walk you home?"

Sakura jerked as though his voice had surprised her, and finally raised her head to look at him. His stomach lurched at the expression on her face; he couldn't put his finger on everything in that look, but he could see the overlaying sadness of it.

Feeling the sudden need to justify his actions - something he'd _never _experienced before - he blurted out a, "It wasn't human anyway. It was a construct... a magical creation. They... they're not really alive. They're just mindless beings that only serve their creator."

"Why did it attack me?" Sakura asked softly, her voice tight.

"It was probably drawn to the magic we had conjured up earlier. Magical beings can sense other magic," he finished, relieved that she might accept his answer.

A pause as Sakura seemed to mull over his words, and then she finally nodded once, before turning and walking towards the entrance of the school. Syaoran had to wonder if she had nodded in acceptance of his proposal to walk her home or of his explanation of the creature, but he wasn't going to ask, and he assumed the former when he fell into step next to her and she didn't try to tell him otherwise.

The walk to her home was far too long for his taste, and filled with the most uncomfortable silence all the way up until they reached the front gate of her home.

Quietly, Sakura turned to him, finally raising her head to meet his gaze, and smiled weakly before performing a quick bow. "Thank you, Li-kun."

"Syaoran."

Her head jerked up suddenly at his voice, eyes searching his face in confusion, looking for an explanation. When he offered none, she lowered her gaze again.

"Then thank you... Sy-Syaoran-kun," She stumbled over his name almost as though uncomfortable with saying it, and he flinched.

He nodded and turned away, listening to the gate creak softly behind him as she walked through it, before slowing his pace and looking at the wall next to him. He had the sudden and inexplicable urge to pound his head against it until he sent himself into a coma. He turned and his feet began walking as he tried to ignore the self-destructive thought.

He'd messed up. And he knew it, could tell it by the way she stayed just barely close enough to him on their way home to not get in anyone's ways, by the wariness in her gaze. He'd offered to let her call him by his first name as a sort of peace offering, to try to crack the uncomfortable distance between them even a little bit. He knew the attack today was not the last, and he also knew that until she came to accept and understand the magic within herself, he'd have to keep a close watch on her in case of those attacks. But he'd rushed it, like an idiot. He'd completely shattered a firm belief of hers - that magic didn't exist, and what was worse is he proved she herself possessed it, though if she accepted it... that was another matter. Beyond that, in showing her the magic she possessed, he'd attracted the attention of something he was hoping to avoid for a while - at least long enough for her to come to terms with her power - and not only had it attacked her, he'd _killed _it right there in front of her. It may have been a created being, but it still possessed a _life,_ and he had taken it away so violently.

Gods, she was never going to trust him now. And he needed her to just that, more than anything. He stopped before a door, and the urge to start banging his head against it welled up again, but instead he opted to open it and step inside.

"Welcome home, Syaoran-sama. How was school?" An old voice asked, as a gray-haired man stepped around the corner from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel.

Syaoran shook his head and went for his bedroom, slipping his shoes off and not even bothering with the slippers near the door as he walked.

His butler watched him leave carefully, before calling out just before the teenager disappeared through the door. "Syaoran-sama, have you found any leads regarding-"

"I already found her."

The old man straightened, thick eyebrows arching almost immediately at the revelation. "Her?"

"Kinomoto Sakura. And I don't want to speak on it now, Wei," Syaoran answered before closing his door.

The butler frowned slightly, but decided not to push it. He'd give his young master time alone - something was obviously bothering him if the fact Syaoran had called him by his name was any indication. He turned back to the kitchen and began thumbing through the giant recipe book, figuring out what to make for dinner.

Syaoran collapsed on his bed with a sigh, covering his eyes with one hand, the only thought running through his mind how badly he had erred. Gently the hand began rubbing his eyes as he thought about the potential repercussions for this blunder. His mother would be _none_ too pleased with him. His sisters would probably only be angry on the grounds they thought Sakura was adorable.

And Meiling.

He groaned audibly as his fiery-tempered cousin crossed his mind.

Not for the first time in his life, Syaoran was completely glad she'd been caught up by some things in Hong Kong and was forced to remain there for the next couple weeks. If she found out... oh he'd _never _hear the end of it. Ever.

But at least he had some time to try to amend his mistake. He had to try to at least get back on some sort of 'general acquaintance' terms with Sakura.

He almost laughed at the thought: General acquaintances on a first-name basis with each other - well, technically she _had _given him permission to use her first name, even if she probably didn't remember it.

After that... well.

That's where things got complicated.

He groaned and rolled over onto his side, away from the sliding glass door that led to his balcony. Gods, after that was going to be the hard part, trying to ease her into the knowledge she carried magic, and how to use it as she'd obviously need it.

He wasn't even about to think about trying to explain _why_ she had magical abilities or _why_ he was protecting her from otherworldly forces that were out for her blood or _why _he was here in the first place - to find her - but oh it was more complicated than that because of just how desperate the Elders were getting and how dire the situation really was.

Another groan, and Syaoran rolled onto his stomach, burying his face in his pillow. His life was so complicated at the moment, but not nearly as complicated as Sakura's was going to be.

He sighed this time and turned over to stare at the ceiling, as his voice let slip the words he'd never be able to say to the girl's face. "I'm sorry..."

Wei's voice broke through the silence that descended, and Syaoran took a deep breath, steeling himself to face his butler and all the questions he was about to receive. He needed to convince the older man to not tell the clan yet of his discovery, he desperately needed some time to amend the wrongs he'd done. He was sure the old man would understand, but he wasn't sure how much time could be bought, especially not with Meiling's impending arrival.

He sat at the table and contemplatively started into his meal, Wei giving him a moment to prepare before he stepped into the room and the questions began.

-

Syaoran arrived at school the next morning well before the bell as usual, though he was so exhausted he questioned the wisdom of waking up as early as he had. He dragged himself over to his desk and sat heavily in it, before folding his arms across the surface and settling his head upon them.

The feeling in the pit of his stomach told him today was going to be a long day, and it was only confirmed as the door slid open quietly, and the second person to join him in the classroom... was Sakura. He confirmed her presence with a quick peek - he'd felt her approaching, before sighing and burying his head in his arms again.

Footsteps echoed quietly in the mostly-empty room, growing louder as they approached his desk, before they stopped altogether. The desk in front of him didn't squeak with the sound of her weight on it, so he knew she was still standing.

"Syaoran-kun?" Her tone was slightly strained, almost like she was fighting to keep her voice steady.

He jerked his head up so quickly it startled Sakura into taking a step backward with a gasp and he cringed internally. She was gun-shy around him. Wonderful. He wondered if she was only still calling him 'Syaoran' because he'd told her to. He knew she was a polite person, so she probably thought it would be rude if she reverted back to calling him by his surname.

Before she could continue, Syaoran opened his mouth to speak... and immediately stuck his foot right in it. "You don't have to call me by my first name if you don't want to."

She blinked, surprised, then furrowed her brows in confusion.

"I... I just figured since you told me to use your first name-"

Her confusion only grew with that as one eyebrow gently raised, and Syaoran suddenly had the urge to hit his head on his desk. Again. Of course she didn't remember, just as he suspected.

"If you don't want me to call you by your given name-"

"No! No, that's not what I meant..."

"You're sure?" Now her tone was nervous and Syaoran would be damned if the urge to beat his head on his desk didn't suddenly raise tenfold. He was being such an idiot, _why _for the love of the gods and his ancestors and everything else in the world did she hold the ability to completely strip him of any tact or finesse? Heck, she managed to completely tear _rational thought _from his mind and let it blow away on one of the four winds.

He nodded, stiffly, and watched as she shifted uncomfortably before lifting a dark colored something into his line of site and holding it out to him. It took him several long seconds to realize it was the uniform shirt he'd given her the day before.

"I washed it a couple times, and you can't really see anything on it anymore if you don't look too hard."

He accepted it with a mumbled 'thanks' and a slight blush as he averted his gaze, trying to save himself from more embarrassment.

"And... thank you, Syaoran-kun."

He blinked at the unexpected continuation of conversation and looked up, only to find her giving him a small smile. He looked back down and nodded quickly. The silence that followed was a little less tense than before, but there was still a grating level of uncomfortableness beneath it.

Syaoran stared at the uniform he still held in his hands as he heard the room's only other occupant sit in her desk, and let a low, relieved breath.

There was still an awkward tension, but it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd imagined. He still had a chance.

-

A/N: Hm. My word processing program seems to believe uncomfortableness is a word. Firefox, however, doesn't. (Then again, Firefox seems to believe that snarky is not a word.) Therefore, I'm going with my word processing program and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Ha.

Reviews make my muses squee and dance and give me the urge to update faster! -heart-

Also: FFn! GIVE ME BACK BRACKETS IN MY SUMMARIES -cries-


	6. Chapter 6

_I don't like the look of him, he's dangerous, but I can't put my finger on how._

Sakura took a deep breath and let it out slowly as her brother's words from the week before decided to flit through her mind. She could just imagine the look on his face if she told him he was, in a sense, correct. He'd never let her anywhere near Syaoran again, and that would be no good - she still had far too many things to ask him... if she ever got the courage up to talk to him again.

The fact he'd been avoiding her for the past three days didn't help any, either.

She had paused, several times in fact, to wonder if it was somehow her fault he made it a point not to stick around her for very long. In fact, she wondered about it so much she was starting to believe she was to blame, and the more she came to that conclusion, the more she fretted about it until she finally decided she had to apologize.

Of course, it took her another two days to even begin to figure out how she was going to go about doing said act, and when she did, she realized it was a Saturday night and she wouldn't see him again until Monday.

Then came the problem of even catching his attention long enough to speak to him, and Sunday afternoon found Sakura wandering down the well-known path through Penguin Park on her way toward Tomoyo's house as she thought. Tomoyo had called her earlier in the day with the intent of them spending their Sunday together with some of the other girls from the school.

Children ran past her, playing a game of tag or some such, on their way toward the 'King Penguin' that resided at the center of the large park. She watched them run and play, smiling softly at their carefree nature. How she wished she was that young and carefree again - not that she was calling herself 'old' exactly, but she wasn't like that so much anymore.

Well, at least she didn't feel like it.

She turned a familiar corner and found her feet walking a direction that was not the one to Tomoyo's house. She paused when her eyes caught the sight of a dark, rust-colored splotch on the ground, and suddenly, Sakura found herself standing right at the spot where Syaoran had saved her a few days previous. The news that night had only had a blurb on the 'mysterious blood puddle', DNA results had confirmed it not to be human blood, and so the police and media had dropped any further coverage of it, though pet owners were warned to keep a close eye on their animals in case any further incidents occurred.

She stared at it for several long moments, green eyes hardly blinking as she did. That the blood wasn't human had only proved what Syaoran had told her - for all its human appearance, the thing he'd killed hadn't really been a person after all. Slowly, Sakura knelt in front of it, and her fingers tentatively reached for the stain on the concrete, but stopped when she felt a warm tingle spread along her spine. Slowly, she turned her head about to find Syaoran standing at the intersection of the two paths, watching her with an expressionless face.

Immediately, any thoughts of her plans to join Tomoyo fled from her mind, replaced by those of apologizing, but even those ground to a halt when she realized this was the first time she'd seen him out of a school uniform.

She had no idea why her brain was paying attention to _that_ particular detail, but she was too preoccupied looking him over while not being too obvious about it to think any farther on it. The first thing she noticed, as her eyes left his and trailed down, was that his shirt was pink.

Okay, the shirt wasn't _entirely _pink, being offset by a contrasting, complementing brown that nearly matched Syaoran's hair; It was a short sleeved shirt, but it was buttoned down and tucked into a pair of neatly creased tan khaki slacks. His belt and shoes both matched black, though they almost seemed out of place with the rest of the color scheme - the black was too harsh, but it added a slight glitch to his otherwise impeccable appearance - it made him seem less perfect. More human.

Sakura felt her cheeks heat up as their eyes met again, and she found him now staring at her inquisitively. _Great,_ she was giving him something to watch again!

"Sy-Syaoran-kun," she said by way of greeting and smiled at him. He nodded in response, remaining silent as she finally stood again, and approached, slowly. "U-... Um. I'm sorry."

He blinked, drawing back slightly in surprise. She watched as his cheeks darkened into a pink that neatly matched his shirt. "W-What?"

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry... for... whatever's been keeping you away from me," okay. She blushed harder at that. It wasn't exactly the wording she was looking for, and if the look on his face was any indication, he'd probably taken it the wrong way, but she couldn't figure out any other way to say it that would get her meaning across: 'Whatever's been making you avoid me' wasn't quite it either.

Syaoran remained quiet for a long second as his mind tried to process the information he'd just been given. And to do it without him blurting out something stupid.

"It's not _your_ fault... I..." he trailed off lamely - apologies had never been his strong suit. "I just figured you might need a day or two to... think about what happened."

Sakura thought about that for a long moment, before a genuine smile spread across her features and she stepped forward until they were less than arm's distance apart. "I guess I should thank you then."

"No, you don't have to if-" Syaoran was cut off by the sound of a cell phone ringing, and Sakura jumped with a 'Hoe!' when she realized it was hers.

"Sorry..." She fished the phone out of her pocket and flipped it open. "Ah, hello? Ah! Tomoyo-chan! No, I didn't forget... I... I'm not _always_ late! No... no. I just ah... ran into Syaoran-kun..." as soon as those words left her mouth, Sakura flinched and had to pull the phone away from her ear. Syaoran couldn't tell what the girl on the other line was squealing about, but it was sure loud. After a moment the commotion died down and Sakura placed the phone back against her ear. "No! I'm still coming..." A long pause. "Wh-What?! But you said you wanted to- Tomoyo-chan!" Another long pause, this one ending with Sakura turning a violently bright red. "Hooeeee! No! Tomoyo-chan we're not-! But you said! And what about Rika-chan?" Pause. "That's... but we were supposed to... I'm not busy already, I-!" And she held the phone away from her again, reading the 'call ended' message that displayed. It took her a minute to remember Syaoran was still standing there, and he was giving her the strangest look. She met it with a slightly confused, but otherwise blank look. "Um... I think my afternoon is free again..."

There was a long, awkward pause...

And then Syaoran started laughing. It wasn't a very long occurrence, but it was one of the most wonderful moments Sakura could remember, his soft laugh making her stomach feel like there was something fluttering in it and a warmth spread through her body from her chest.

When the laughter finally subsided, a now easy silence descended between them, and they found themselves staring at each other, eyes locked. For a moment, everything seemed perfect, nothing seemed to be wrong. Syaoran's amber brown eyes were glittering in amusement, and Sakura found herself blushing softly and smiling in response.

"Something to drink?" Syaoran asked, and Sakura nodded enthusiastically. The corner of his mouth twitched up just a bit. "This time, we'll go together. No surprise attacks." He turned and she strode up next to him, before they both set off, walking in companionable silence for a long while. It wasn't until they stood loitering in front of the vending machines, drinking their chosen in beverages in silence that things began to get awkward. The silence had gone on for too long, and Sakura felt herself trying to dredge up enough courage to ask all the things on her mind.

Finally, the most important question emerged, squeaked out of her suddenly tight throat. "Why?"

Syaoran blinked, and turned to her, confusion causing an eyebrow to raise, before the meaning of the question sank in and his face turned extremely serious - almost grim. Sakura felt her chest tighten painfully, she already missed the casual, friendly expression he'd had earlier.

Amber eyes closed, and he took a deep breath before tilting his head back and speaking. "It's a game."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows, obviously confused. "A game?"

"Yes. A game... not simply in the means of someone playing mind games with you. It's like an extremely complicated game of chess."

"... Who's playing?"

Syaoran sighed and turned to look at her. "I can't tell you that: all I can tell you is that they are two extremely powerful forces of the universe."

She frowned, but didn't push it. Something told her it wouldn't matter. "Why are they playing?"

"Because they must, the balance of the universe... any and all of them... must remain intact."

A blink. "I don't understand."

"This is just one chess game of many that they're playing. In some worlds, the force on our side are the antagonists. In others, like this one, they're playing defensive. It's also subject to change at any time."

Sakura looked down at the can in her hand, eyebrows drawn together as she tried to understand what exactly Syaoran was saying. "So what do I have to do with this?"

Syaoran closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and releasing it before he caught her eyes with his own. "Because you are the most important piece in this game - akin to the king."

"I... what?"

"You are the one our opponents must get at to upset the balance of this world. When that happens, we lose, and this world falls into chaos."

Sakura looked quite pale at this revelation, her drink barely grasped in her hand. "But why me?"

"I've already told you a lot, are you sure you want to know more?" This time his mind managed to stop him before he could blurt out too much.

Sakura closed her eyes for a moment, trying to clear the questions and revelations swirling through her mind - it was all making her dizzy. Finally she looked up at him. "Yes... why me? And... what do you have to do with any of it?"

There was a short pause before Syaoran answered. "Because you are an extremely powerful sorceress."

His words hit her so hard she was forced to take a step back. Before she could open her mouth, however, and begin to tell him _no, she wasn't! She was just a high school student trying to make it into a good college to have a good life, _Syaoran spoke again.

"As for me... I am... the pawn... the knight, the rook, the bishop... I am all that is standing between them and you right now."

"But you're..." She looked up at him, and he winced at the watery glimmer in her eyes. "Doesn't that mean..."

Syaoran looked at her, uncomprehending for a moment as she fell silent, staring at her feet, fiddling with the can in her hands. He decided not to press, opting instead to stand in uncomfortable silence until she looked back up at him.

Sakura took a deep, shuddering breath. "All the pieces but the King are... expendable, in most chess games. It... doesn't matter what happens to them as long as the King survives."

There was a brief, surprised pause as Syaoran's eyebrows arched up suddenly and he regarded the girl in front of him. This was, quite possibly, the first time someone had ever been worried about him... and it felt nice - though Sakura couldn't help herself; just the thought of Syaoran dying made something in her chest go cold.

Blushing and looking away, Syaoran mumbled out a reply, "I'm not going to die... I said I'm the _only _one between you and the bad guys... and you can't... access your powers fully yet." Amber eyes looked back and locked with emerald.

"And... what about after I... I do?" Her voice nearly cracked.

That was a harder question for him to answer, and he took a moment to think of it. "You won't need me anymore." He looked away. It hurt some part of his ego to admit, but though he'd been training and honing his magic his entire life, she'd be able to meet his power level in only a few months - and she'd just keep getting stronger after that. "I'll probably be called back to Hong Kong. My family will probably want me back." He couldn't tell her what his family would try to do to _her._ Not yet at least.

"... Oh..." Somehow, the knowledge that he'd be leaving brought the same reaction from her chest as the thought of him dying. In fact, it almost hurt worse since it seemed like such a sure thing. She looked back to the ground, but wasn't quite fast enough for Syaoran to miss her expression.

And it hurt something in him to see. He wasn't sure what he was expected to do, so he went with his gut reaction, taking a tentative step forward. What he didn't count on was her to do the exact same thing, and as the can she had previously held hit the ground with a dull clunk, he felt her forehead come to rest against his shoulder, her fingers to come to rest against his stomach, gripping the fabric of his shirt.

Syaoran stood, stunned, blushing a deep crimson, now more unsure than ever of what to do. He couldn't tell if she was crying, though her breathing had shuddered a couple times, he didn't feel any moisture seeping into his shirt. Finally, just as he was raising his arms to do _something_ other than standing there like a blushing idiot, she pulled back - though her hold remained on his shirt.

She gave him a warm smile, and an equally warm, "Thank you."

He blinked. "What?"

"For helping me... for telling me about what's going on, even though I'm still confused."

Syaoran sighed, and gave her something of a flat look, before suddenly, and quite inexplicably, Sakura found herself pressed once more against his chest, his arms wrapped around her shoulders and holding her in place.

She flushed brightly before releasing her hold on his shirt, only to slide her arms around his middle. "I'll take that as a 'you're welcome'?"

Syaoran gave a short chuckle, more through his nose than his mouth, and Sakura took that as a response to the affirmative, though this time she didn't voice her opinion. She was too busy being more warm and content than she could ever remember being before in her life.

-

A/N: One of these days, they will finish their juice! Late update. I know. D: Sorry.

Read! Review! Maybe if you do they'll finally get to finish their drinks! xp


	7. Chapter 7

It was a week later - an easy, comfortable week (if the numerous situations Syaoran and Sakura found themselves in that ended with them blushing and putting distance between themselves rapidly counted as 'comfortable'), before any attacks would happen again.

It came one evening after school was over and Sakura, exhausted having taken a math test and track practice for an upcoming event all in the same day, trudged wearily through Penguin Park - the veritable 'center' of Tomoeda on her way home. It was a bit out of the way, but she thought she'd take a detour - as she'd had the strange feeling of being watched since saying goodbye to the team and walking out of the gates of the school, but she was too tired to look into it at any length, and just chalked it up to nerves.

She'd barely walked a dozen meters into the park before that cold, wet feeling suddenly spread across her back and she whirled around... only to find nothing there. Sighing, and just about to laugh at herself for being so nervous, she turned around...

And spotted something large, black, and distinctly sinister looking standing on the path before her. Her heart leapt into her throat and she felt herself take an instinctual step backward. This figure was different than the one before - it didn't carry any weapons she could see, and though it was similarly clothed all in black as the last one, it wore a tall, black headdress that sat upon its eyebrows, as well as a cape with a collar that covered its mouth.

Silently, they stood, facing each other, before it raised its hand from within the shadowed depths of its cape, pointing a golden device that looked something like a gun right at her.

Sakura flinched, tensing, her tired muscles already gearing up for another long run. The device flashed, emitting a quiet, electronic sounding bang, and Sakura jumped instinctively. A flare of something like what she had felt before when Syaoran had proved to her the existence of magic, coursed through her veins just before something else, something searing and hot impacted her right shoulder, and forced a cry of pain from her throat as she stepped to the side. She wouldn't get the chance to check her injuries as the device fired again. This time she managed to get out of the way, and turned her head in time to watch an entire small limb get blown off a tree. Fear clenched at her heart and she turned to make sure her own arm was still attached. Surprisingly enough, it was, though there was so much blood around the impact point she couldn't tell how big the hole was. Wincing, she turned back, and once again narrowly missed death as the figure fired the gun again.

This time, she turned and ran, ducking down paths and into the woods in an increasingly complex trail to try to shake her pursuer. Beside her and behind her, she heard the cracking and snapping of tree limbs being broken from their trunks, but it was barely audible over the intense thrumming of her own heart.

Finally, the sounds stopped, though she didn't stop running for a good few seconds after that, finally stopping and breathing shallowly, her shoulder screaming in pain. She took a moment to calm her breathing, before looking around again. Something in the back of her mind was calling her several different kinds of idiot for telling Syaoran that he didn't need to wait up for her, she'd be fine walking home by herself, while another argued back that he needn't inconvenience himself for her, even given the circumstances she now found herself in.

Carefully, Sakura began making her way towards home, though she took all of the most roundabout paths and kept her ears, eyes, and kept trying to use that sixth sense, the one that had sent the cold chill down her spine earlier when the thing attacked, to pinpoint its location. Of course, it seemed now that she was thinking about it, she couldn't sense anything.

Maybe it had left?

Carefully, she turned a corner, just a short walk more and she'd be only a couple blocks from her home...

There it was... just standing there, right at the gate. It looked rather nonchalant, leaning on one side, tapping the gun against the side of its leg. And then it noticed her, its head snapping in her direction suddenly, a quick, black blur. She nearly cried out of frustration... so close to the home stretch and there it was!

Slowly, it turned to face her, and her legs locked up, ready to begin the dance of avoiding its shots again. Except this time it didn't raise its gun. This time it raised its hand before it, lowering its head. That cold, wet feeling rose again, this time twisting about in her stomach, and it took her a moment to realize she was sensing its magical power. It was gathering it... for an attack.

Sakura began running, as fast as she could, right toward the figure. She didn't know why she was doing it, but something told her getting closer to it would help... somehow.

Oh how she wished Syaoran was there with her...

The magic lashed out in a vortex of dark grayish-purple, and Sakura attempted to dive out of the way, except she was a tad too slow. It was like time slowed down as she realized it was going to hit her... and it was either going to kill her or worse... and then that door from within her opened again, and she watched as the vortex twisted, contorted, and then redirected, the force of it simply forcing her off balance and landing on her wounded shoulder before it slammed into a nearby bench and light pole - blowing them apart into chunks of scrap metal and wood and glass.

Sakura bit her lip to keep from screaming out in pain, her shoulder hurt so much, and it was dripping blood all over the concrete - already a small pool was forming beneath where it now rested, the pain so powerful Sakura was having a hard time seeing straight.

The black-shrouded creature adjusted its position, and emerald colored eyes squeezed shut, readying herself for another attack, one that was interrupted mid-preparation by a voice that made her insides melt with relief.

"RAITEI! SHOURAI!"

She opened her eyes as much as she could against the pain in her shoulder, just in time to have to close them against the flash of lightning and crack of thunder that split the air. She waited a moment before opening her eyes again, only to watch Syaoran advancing upon the black figure, and quickly. He brought his sword down for an overhead strike, but the creature managed to get its gun up, and the two weapons collided in a shower of sparks and metal screaming against metal. Again and again Syaoran attacked, only to have his attacks deflected, until he finally managed to land one, slashing deep into the figure's arm. It screeched in pain before shoving Syaoran back and running away, a swift, fleeting shadow.

Syaoran stood where he was, completely still, his sword in a calm defensive position in front of him. His amber-brown eyes scanned the area, pausing only briefly as he looked Sakura over as she stood from the ground, his expression softening for just a brief moment before hardening into twice as cold and angry as it had looked before as he scanned the area for signs of the creature.

Sakura stiffened when she felt the coldness of the creature's magic, turning out of the way just in time to see it shoot at her again. She felt the too-near presence of the shot as it barely missed hitting her in the face, and she stumbled backward, but caught herself before she could fall. The creature charged her then, and she managed to sidestep several attacks before the creature finally caught her by surprise, swinging its gun around with a surprising quickness - and pointing it right for her heart.

She barely heard Syaoran cry out some sort of incantation, but she felt it, and even as the finger on the trigger of the golden device pulled, a warm, green light wrapped around her - it took her a second to realize it was wind, even as the shot was deflected away. The barrier was enough to knock the antagonist backward, and just as it failed, she heard another "Raitei Shourai!" pierce the air; only to then feel the small hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as lightning crashed from the sky.

She stepped backward, and saw a flash of silver from her peripheral vision, only for it to arc about and catch the stunned figure across the neck, cutting up and into its jaw. Blood sprayed out from the severed arteries, but this time Sakura managed to step out of the way before it could hit her. The creature twitched, and its hand came up, the gun barrel pointed right at Syaoran's stomach. Sakura felt her heart stop, but at the same time her body was sent into motion, and before the creature had a chance to pull the trigger, Sakura rammed her good shoulder into it, knocking it out of the way. The shot grazed Syaoran's stomach and earned a grunt of pain from him, but it was much better than it could have been - and it gave him the chance to readjust his position and neatly behead the creature, its blood splattering all over the bushes to the side of the path.

Following the thud of the body hitting the ground, the park went eerily quiet, both teens staring at the limp form until it finally began glowing a soft, dark red color, and eventually disappeared leaving nothing but a large, bloody imprint. Behind them, one of the path lights buzzed gratingly as it turned on, adding a sickly yellow hue to the scene in the otherwise gray twilight dimness. Finally, Sakura raised her eyes, and Syaoran looked over at the same time, their gazes meeting for a long moment, though neither said anything, until finally, the wound in her shoulder throbbed and Sakura flinched.

Syaoran was next to her in an instant. "Are you alright?"

She looked down and nodded, not trusting her voice, but instantly regretted it as he gently touched her shoulder - and though it was nowhere near the injury, it still sent a burning pain through her body. She whimpered and flinched back, squeezing her eyes shut against the look she knew he was going to give her.

"We need to get that looked at..." He stated with finality. "As soon as possible."

"What about yours?" Sakura asked, gently pressing fingers against his abdomen, just above the cut. He tensed, but didn't react farther.

"I will be alright. You, however, need to see a doctor," Syaoran replied gruffly, more so than he had intended as he watched her shake her head. However, the minute she did that, her body began to wobble unsteadily, and she clutched a hand to the side of her head.

A deep frown crossed Syaoran's face and he hesitantly reached out to steady her. The blood loss was starting to make her dizzy, not a good sign. Instantly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, flipping it open and quickly punching in the number, trying to ignore the steadily increasing weight against his chest as Sakura began to lose her hold on consciousness.

As soon as the voice answered on the other end, Syaoran launched into a quick, and extremely vague retelling of the recent events, carefully pulling Sakura closer to himself as he did so. His voice remained markedly steady until near the end, when he really began to feel her blood seep into his shirt, and he had to fight to keep his voice from cracking. Finally, a few moments later he heard the sirens approaching, and so he dropped the phone, ignoring the plastic cracking as it hit the hard concrete in favor of wrapping both arms around Sakura and gently bringing them both to the ground. She gasped and whimpered as he settled and he flinched at the noise, though he knew it was necessary to keep her from standing.

"Syaoran-kun..." she whispered, and he had to lean closer to her to hear her over the sound of the sirens. Her hand reached up and rested on his upper arm, and he felt his throat tighten at how cold it was. "Thank you... again."

He shook his head, incredulous. Didn't she realize _now _was not the time to be thanking him? His stomach clenched, and it forced him to lean down until his bangs brushed against hers. "It'll be alright..." he mumbled, more to himself than her. "It'll all be alright..."

"Yeah," she agreed, what little of her green eyes exposed from beneath her eyelids, hazy. "Everything will defini..." the rest of her words were lost to the suddenly loud screaming of the ambulance sirens.

* * *

Syaoran paced around the living room of his apartment for the countless time that night, before pausing as the wound on his stomach burned suddenly, throbbing painful before fading away. He frowned; the shot the hospital had given him to numb the area while they stitched the wound closed had lost its effect. His feet began moving again, and he glared at the clock on the wall as he paced; it was two-thirty in the morning, he'd arrived home less than fifteen minutes ago, and though he should have been getting to bed and getting some sleep for the school day tomorrow, he was instead busy being agitated and worried.

The hospital had treated his injury quickly enough; some disinfectant, a shot to numb the site, a few stitches and a piece of uncomfortable gauze later, and he was being handed an orange bottle with a dozen or so painkillers in it and told there were a couple police officers in the lobby waiting to ask him some questions. He'd refused to go see them until he knew the condition of his companion, and after a good fifteen minute long argument with the doctor, they reached a compromise - the doctor had informed him that she had suffered a rather deep wound, but that it was mostly to the skin and muscle of her shoulder, and that she could expect to have full use of her right arm in about a month. The doctor also told him the hospital was going to keep her overnight due to the weakness from the amount of blood lost, as well as to make sure the injury didn't get infected; but as long as he wasn't a direct relation to her or her husband, he wouldn't be able to actually see her until tomorrow either during visiting hours or after they released her.

Syaoran wanted to try to argue that he was, in an extremely distant way, related to her, but realized he was just being stubborn and childish before he could open his mouth, and instead opted to leave and allow the police to question him. Upon arrival he found not only the police standing there, but a tall, dark-haired man giving one _deadly _glare in his direction - a man he would come to find out was Sakura's brother. He told them _mostly_ the truth - That he'd been walking home from his own separate activities at school when he'd heard the gunshots, and ran to go see what was wrong, only to find Sakura being chased by a dark-clad figure and its dog. He didn't know the reason for the attack, but told the police that after he'd managed to wrestle the dog between himself and the antagonist, and the attacker had accidentally shot the dog, that the fight was over, and he didn't remember exactly what had become of the man and his dog as he was too concerned with Sakura.

The story wasn't entirely fool-proof, but Syaoran knew that aside from his and Sakura's, there would be no other human blood at the scene. The police had let him go without further queries, but Sakura's brother had not, and the next thing he knew, he was being questioned so quickly and so thoroughly, he was left somewhat confused after everything was over and the man had left, seemingly satisfied.

Wei had been waiting just outside the door, and no words had passed between them until both were safely in the car and pulling away from the hospital and on to the deserted street. Syaoran told the older man the full, actual story, and after a short, contemplative silence, Wei had pointed out that the clan would now, more than ever before, want to know his status with his task and why he had been sent to the hospital. Time had, essentially, run out.

Syaoran had to suppress a groan and the urge to hit his head on the dash of the car at that realization. He'd have to call his mother in the morning, inform her of his success... but he couldn't tell everything. He couldn't tell them that Sakura knew of her powers, or that she knew, even basically, of the danger their world was in. He had to prolong things for as long as possible.

And that was what kept him awake at two thirty in the morning, pacing back and forth like a caged tiger. That, and the worry that kept gnawing at his stomach for the well being of one Kinomoto Sakura.

* * *

A/N: -carefully unreels some more plot, wearing an 'IT'S A TRAP' t-shirt- Read! Review! So you may see how this event is reconciled! See where this plot goes! Beat me over the head for my 3am typos and purple prose!

Also: Damn it, FFn! First my brackets in summaries, and now my chapter breaks? Meine Gott...


	8. Chapter 8

The next day, an extremely tired Syaoran stepped through the doors of the classroom, just a few minutes before the school bell rang, and was immediately mobbed with questions. In a town as small as Tomoeda, he'd found, news traveled quickly. He gave short, monosyllabic answers and just ignored the deeper questions until the bell rang and all the students rushed for their seats before the teacher came in.

The entire day, he couldn't concentrate on anything - his impending conversation with his mother (he was stalling, he knew. He had to do it after school now), Sakura being injured and still in the hospital... not to mention that he now knew he couldn't let her talk him out of walking her home every day, he might even need to start taking her _to _school...

In fact, he was so distracted, it wasn't until well after the last bell had rung and everyone had left that he realized he was alone in the room and needed to leave; he was even startled when Tomoyo approached him as he was changing his shoes out at the shoe lockers to inform him that Sakura had just arrived home, but the pain medication and exertion were making her exhausted, so he might want to wait a bit before checking up on her. He thanked the dark-haired girl before heading toward his apartment, his feet automatically treading along the path while his mind continued to be preoccupied. Sakura's condition meant he probably wouldn't be able to visit her, so that meant he could not put off calling his mother any more.

Home arrived far too quickly, and he let his hand rest upon the phone for a short moment, actually _hesitating _before picking it up and dialing the familiar numbers to his permanent residence. Then he braced himself, even though it was one of the servants that picked up the phone, he knew he wouldn't have much time before he was speaking to his mother - and she was an intimidating woman.

Too soon, an all too calm, all too familiar voice flowed through the receiver of the phone, and he fought to keep his expression neutral - even though he knew she couldn't see his facade, he knew she would be able to hear his emotions through his voice.

"Hello mother," he said in response, tight and formal in his native Chinese.

There was a slight pause on the other end before she spoke again, and rather than exchanging pleasantries, she got right to the point. "Wei has informed me that you have found the heir, or rather heiress in this case, to the cards we have been left."

"Yes, mother. Her name is Kinomoto Sakura, she lives and attends the high school here in Tomoeda."

"Is she aware of her powers, yet?"

"From what little I've been able to speak with her on the subject, she knows very little at best. In fact, she seems to think that magic is a myth from fictional stories and does not exist within this realm."

There was a short pause from the Hong Kong end, and Syaoran had to fight to keep from flinching.

"You do realize, Xiao Lang, that our time and resources are running thin?"

"Yes, mother, I do. But I don't want to rush her into something she is not prepared for. She must first come to terms with her possession of magic before we may begin training her for it - forcing her might make her dislike us, and from what I know of clan politics and the state of this world, that could be disastrous."

There was another pause, and when his mother spoke again, Syaoran was nearly shocked at the tone of her voice - she almost sounded _pleased. _"A wise plan, my son. However, I must ask if she is so temperamental as to actually be lead to hate us for such actions."

Syaoran had to pause and think about that for a moment, letting the words piece together perfectly before speaking again. "She does not seem to be, however, she is naive and too kind. She is... not prepared, I believe, to face what will come next." He was lying, he knew it, and his mother probably could hear it. Sakura was a lot stronger than he was giving her credit for in this conversation, she'd proven that much and then some in the last attack.

There was another pause before his mother's parting words. "Very well, I trust your judgment on this Xiao Lang. The Elders will likely wish to speak to her come this summer vacation, so it is up to you to convince her to come to Hong Kong with you then. Meiling will be arriving within the next two days, and she will help as well. Until then, protect Kinomoto well, and do what you can to aid her finding her power. Take care, my son."

"Take care as well mother," he stated, rather dully, setting the phone back into its cradle with a soft click. He released a terse breath he didn't know he'd been holding, relieved that the conversation went so smoothly, if it was a bit tense and awkward.

Summer vacation... that left him only about two months to get on the best possible terms with Sakura he could. He stared lifelessly out the sliding door that led from the living room to his apartment's balcony, watching the setting sun and his partial reflection in the glass. Finally, he turned away, heaving a sigh and slapping a palm to his forehead, grasping strands of his chocolate-colored hair between his fingers and tugging at it in frustration. Meilin would help, he knew, she wasn't quite so disadvantaged by gender as he was, so maybe they had a shot at this whole thing after all. Still, he was left feeling a bit aggravated and restless, so he decided to step out of his apartment and have a walk around Penguin Park. Maybe it would help him clear his mind.

* * *

The next two days proved to be as frustrating as they could have possibly been. Sakura didn't arrive at school, still resting from her ordeal in the park, and Syaoran couldn't convince himself of a good reason to visit her. What was worse, the second day he had to rush from the school to the airport to pick up his cousin.

Because, of course, Li Meiling _hated _to be kept waiting.

After helping her get settled in (and having his ear nearly chatted off at the things that had happened back home since he'd left, as well as how much she'd missed him, interspersed with random situations where she'd cling to his arm), Syaoran finally caught enough of a break to sneak into his room for some peace and quiet while Wei took Meilin out shopping for some groceries and a quick tour of the town. It was then his phone rang, and he pried himself from his bed to answer it, only to be shocked when Tomoyo turned out to be the one calling him.

"Li-kun, hello! I've some great news: Sakura-chan will be going back to school tomorrow."

For some reason, something felt like it had lifted a weight of Syaoran's shoulders, and the corner of his lips twitched into something of a smile. Of course, that didn't explain how Tomoyo had gotten a hold of his phone number, nor why she had called him, but he decided not to question her when she obviously believed herself to be doing a good deed. "Ah... thank you, Daidouji." His response was a bit short, but he didn't know what else to say.

He was infinitely confused when he heard the girl on the other end give a short giggle. "Sakura-chan seems happy about it... being able to go back and see _everyone _again. But I just thought I would tell you, have a good night Li-kun."

For some reason Syaoran couldn't put his finger on, Tomoyo's emphasis on 'everyone' made his cheeks warm a little. "Y-you too, Daidouji."

... Now why was he stuttering?

He wouldn't get the chance to answer the question as the door burst open and Meilin came bounding through, giving him a quick, albeit extremely tight hug with her arms full of groceries (adding in an exclamation of "Syaoran!") before heading off into the kitchen. Wei followed closely behind, chuckling and shaking his head, while Syaoran once again felt the heel of his hand meet the space of his forehead between his eyebrows.

* * *

The next day at school found the students welcoming Li Meiling into their class, and she took one of the previously unoccupied seats near the center of the back of the room. However, just as she seated herself and the teacher was about to begin homeroom, the classroom door opened and in walked a slightly panicked looking Kinomoto Sakura, her left arm contained by a soft pink and white sling.

"I'm very sorry! I-I wasn't supposed to be late but changing with my arm as it is took longer than I expected!" She bowed furiously to the teacher, who graced her with a soft smile, and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it," the teacher replied, motioning toward her usual seat near the back of the class. Sakura smiled brightly, thanked the man, and quickly retreated toward her seat, but when her eyes landed on Syaoran, who happened to be watching her intently, she smiled at him in a way that made something in his chest tighten. She took her seat quietly, and the young man was forced to watch the back of her head silently, pondering what to say to her after class.

Unfortunately, he had to wait until school was over before he even had a moment's peace from Meilin to say anything. He approached her as she changed her shoes out, talking with Tomoyo, his cousin firmly attached to his arm. He cleared his throat to gain her attention, and she started a bit before turning toward him and smiling broadly.

"Oh! Syaoran-kun!"

If he noticed the way Meilin tensed and suddenly held his arm tighter, he didn't acknowledge it.

"How are you ah... feeling?" He questioned a bit hesitantly.

"Oh, it's sore, and the pain flares up from time to time... ah, don't worry, though...! It never gets that bad... oh, but the medicine they gave me makes me kind of sleepy." There was a short silence before Sakura noticed the fourth member of their group, and she noted Meilin's clinging to Syaoran's arm without her smile even faltering. "Ah, you're Syaoran's cousin, right?"

"Cousin _and _fiancée," Meilin informed them all, a bit loudly. Syaoran tried not to flinch as he felt the stares of those around him, heard the jealous whispers of some of the girls, and at the same time, he tried not to let the anger that threatened below his calm surface break through; it was made extremely hard by the fact this time Sakura's smile _did _falter, but was replaced by an even wider one.

"Oh! That's wonderful news, I'm so happy for you," And, to Syaoran's astonishment, the girl sounded _sincere_ about it. "I'm sure you both have a bright future ahead of you."

Meilin's grip on his arm relaxed visibly, and she gave an actually _genuine _smile back to Sakura. "Thank you."

Tomoyo stood silently, watching everything with ever-observant eyes hidden behind her own bright smile.

The short silence was interrupted by Meilin's voice, piercing and loud through the suddenly too-quiet air. "Syaoraan, are you gonna show me around town now or whaaat?"

Syaoran sighed carefully. "Meiling... I have to make sure Sakura gets home without any incident."

And suddenly, his cousin was tense again.

"Oh? Why? What's so special about this girl?" She gave the auburn-haired lass a good once-over, disapprovingly.

"Meiling... she is the one that we discussed."

Another short silence, before Meilin suddenly jumped at the revelation. "Oh! Ohhh I get it. Wait... _she's _the one we've got to-"

"Walk home now," Syaoran interrupted, his low voice, though quiet, successfully cutting through Meilin's much higher-pitched one. "I'll show you the town afterward."

"Oh, I think I'll be alright," Sakura tried, her voice soft and her smile incredibly awkward and uncomfortable.

"There's plenty of time to get to know the town," Syaoran replied sternly. "I don't want to take the chance of you being attacked again... especially not with that injured shoulder."

Sakura smiled warmly at Syaoran, and he felt his own lips curling upward in an unbidden motion.

His cousin squeezing his arm again brought him out of his reverie. He paused, a bit awkwardly, before motioning to the door. "Shall we?"

Sakura laughed softly, and pointed downward. "Syaoran-kun... you're both still wearing your indoor shoes."

* * *

OH GOD A SHORT CHAPTER. I'm sorry. I love you all. Review for me and I'll try to crank out the next one in a demi-reasonable span of time.


	9. Chapter 9

Fortunately enough, the walk from the school to Sakura's house wasn't as awkward as Syaoran thought it was going to be. His cousin and the girl they were supposed to be protecting had a surprising amount in common, and they managed to keep a smooth conversation going, shifting topics easily as they chatted. Syaoran added in every once in a while, though he wasn't exactly the talkative type, finding it hard to keep silent when things seemed to be going so well. However, he knew he couldn't shirk his other duty, and found himself looking around for any more dangerous or unsavory beings that might decide to take prey upon them.

"Thank you very much," Sakura stated softly, and the change in her voice from her previously animated speaking with Meilin was enough to draw Syaoran from his almost mindless scanning of the area around them.

"No problem!" Meilin replied, her voice high and chipper, no different than it was usually.

Syaoran paused for a moment, his mind a moment behind as it tried to wind back up into normal working order so he could reply. "Ah... you're welcome."

Sakura smiled pleasantly at him, and he felt himself returning the smile with something of a smile himself, though it came out almost as a smirk. Sakura turned and walked into the gate at the front of her family's property, and Syaoran stood, watching her carefully the entire time, until she unlatched the front door and stepped inside. Once he was sure she was safe in her house, he looked down to find a pair of ruddy brown eyes staring intently up into his face as his cousin gave him a mild glare.

He felt the heat rise to his cheeks and he averted his gaze, before turning on the ball of his foot and beginning to walk toward his apartment. Meilin said nothing, just jogged to catch up with his long-legged stride and clung to his arm, though this time, he noted, she didn't do so as tightly.

"So, that's the girl we need to protect?" Meilin asked after several long moments of not-quite-uncomfortable silence.

Syaoran nodded quickly, without giving any sort of verbal accompaniment.

Another long moment passed between the two Chinese teenagers before Meilin stopped in her tracks, and from the grip on her arm, nearly took Syaoran down backward as she did so.

He turned to her quickly, frowning with an eyebrow cocked as she let go of his arm.

"Why do you let her call you Syaoran?"

His frown quickly transformed into something infinitely more confused. "What do you mean?"

Meilin sighed this time, shaking her head. She couldn't bear to look him in the eye, he probably didn't realize the implications of letting someone call him by his first name, or if he did, Sakura was distracting him enough that he wasn't thinking about it. "Nevermind. So, I heard from your mother that we're supposed to invite her for some questioning in Hong Kong come this summer break."

Chocolate-brown locks swayed as Syaoran nodded again. "The Elders would like to have a word with her... they want to make sure I've found the correct holder of the Cards."

"Do you think you have?"

"Yes, I do. I've never felt an aura quite like hers before... It's definitely one of a kind. If nothing else - if she doesn't end up being the correct Card Master - she'll be an undertrained but powerful sorceress to have on our side."

Meilin rolled her eyes. "If you say so. It's a pity I didn't get any of those magical abilities, I'd want to test your theory."

Syaoran just cocked a smile at his cousin and held his arm back out. Meilin attached herself to it without another word, and the two finished their walk back to the apartment in silence.

-

Several days followed in much the same fashion. Syaoran was happy to see that his cousin and Sakura were getting along about as well as they could with Meilin's protective sense of jealousy over her cousin slash fiancée, and while there were some awkward times, it was overall going quite well.

Perhaps they'd be able to get the girl to come with them to Hong Kong come summer vacation.

Finally, on a Friday afternoon, just after departing the school and waving goodbye to Tomoyo, Syaoran stopped their little troupe halfway en route to Sakura's house. He turned on the young Japanese woman with a serious expression that bordered on grim.

"We need to talk," he informed her at her curious look. Meilin stepped back from the two a bit: As much as she hated doing it, she knew what Syaoran was going to do, and magic was something she would not and could not interfere with.

"Sure, Syaoran-kun... what's up?" Sakura asked, a bit hesitantly. Even she noticed Meilin's backing off.

"About everything that's been happening as of late," he continued his previous thought as though there hadn't been any sort of pause between the two statements. "I know I told you the bare essentials about it... but let me try to expand on it a bit."

Sakura looked confused, but didn't try to press, instead waiting patiently until Syaoran continued.

"I told you this whole thing is like some sort of... inter-worldly game of chess. Here, we are on the defending side, the black side, if you will. However, I don't think I've told you just how important this is."

Emerald eyes blinked as Sakura tilted her head to the side slightly. "You said before that I was... the King of this. If they got a hold of me, they would win."

Syaoran nodded. "Right, but what I didn't tell you was how we are the last line of defense."

"Hoe?"

A sigh. "This is _the _pivotal world for our side. If they take this one, the game is over. All of the other chessboards fall apart, and white side wins. There will be no going back after this."

Now she was really confused. The Japanese woman looked from Syaoran to Meilin, who was keeping a carefully calm, neutral face.

"How did it get this bad?"

"Something... something is upsetting the balance. Something both sides have allowed, both sides are trying to use it to their advantage, and so far it's doing no good either way. It caused some of the people on our side to falter... and they took the opportunity to push right into the core... they're bringing the fight right to our doorstep and though everyone's tried, we're all that's left to stop them."

"And without me... they can get right to the... player?"

Syaoran nodded quietly.

"But won't the player be able to do anything?"

"No," and this time it was Meilin who answered. "That is the fate the one who is orchestrating our side has chosen for themselves. When their pieces are gone, they have lost."

It was then the auburn haired girl took a deep breath, looking from her two companions to the strangely empty streets, to the gold-stained blue of the sky above. Finally, she regarded the two others with a slight smile.

"So what do I have to do to help?"

Syaoran sighed, un-tensing as he did so. This was going well so far, he was lucky she was such an agreeable person.

"That's not something we should discuss in such a public space," the young male of the group replied cautiously. Now he was beginning to notice just how vacant the are around them had become. It seemed Meilin picked up on his tension, for she too began to look around suspiciously.

"What's the matter?" Sakura asked quietly, knowing now that something was wrong but unable to put her finger on it. Finally, she stiffened as the familiar, painfully cold feeling slowly spread along her spine.

"... Not again," Syaoran growled under his breath - Sakura was injured! Couldn't they leave her alone until she'd recovered?

"Something's coming?" Meilin asked. She couldn't feel the presence, for the chill was a magical signature, but she could definitely tell there was something wrong... and the more she concentrated on it, the more she realized she had the feeling she was being watched.

Syaoran nodded silently, looking around. Whatever this particular thing was, it was masking its presence fairly well. It was keeping its existence known, but its aura was so spread out Syaoran couldn't fully pinpoint what it's exact location was. The enemy had the element of surprise over them, and that was never a good thing.

Contrary to the two Li's, Sakura's head whipped back and forth as she desperately looked for the source of the chilling presence that had now seeped through her entire body, making her shoulder throb and ache with every beat of her heart. Finally, she paused, narrowing in on where the freezing sensation seemed to get the worst, where it felt it would turn her very blood to ice in her veins. Syaoran took note of it, and slowly turned toward where she was staring off between two nearby houses. Truly enough, the presence seemed to get almost imperceptibly stronger from that direction.

However, none of them would get the chance to fully pinpoint the location, as the magical aura surged and a golden beam of light streaked between Syaoran and Sakura, slamming into the pavement just inches from Meilin's toes and leaving a small crater. Sakura squeaked and stumbled backward, and would have fallen if Meilin hadn't run _forward _to catch her. Syaoran, on the other hand, turned abruptly and in one huge leap managed to land atop the wall surrounding the house next to them. His sword was drawn in a matter of seconds, and as soon as it had appeared, his magic flared just a bit - a prickle of warmth through the unbearable cold surrounding them, and he leapt from the edge of the wall to the roof of the house, before running across it and closer to whatever was shooting at them.

Meilin, now finished steadying Sakura, grabbed the wounded girl about her unhurt wrist and began dragging her out of the immediate line of fire. Sakura distractedly let herself be pulled and watched as Syaoran ran to the top of the roof of the house he'd jumped on, then made one impressive leaping frontflip from that roof to the one next door, barely avoiding another burst of whatever magic their opponent was using to attack them.

Finally, the two girls rounded a corner, and Sakura lost sight of Syaoran.

"Where are we going?" The Japanese one called, now focusing on the task at hand.

"Away from whatever that thing is! Where do you think we're going?!" Meilin answered harshly. "You're injured, you can't fight -"

They were cut off as another energy blast exploded the street just before them, stopping them both in their tracks. They both looked up toward where the shot had come from, only to find a familiar and yet not figure floating in mid-air not a hundred feet above them. Once again, a warmth trickled through the unbearable cold the creature emitted, and the sky crackled with lightning. The shadowy figure just barely managed to get out of the way before it was hit from one of Syaoran's lightning attacks.

Now that it was once again distracted, the two girls resumed their flight for a safe haven, but it seemed their opponent was terribly good at multitasking as it managed to both ward off Syaoran and keep harrying Sakura and Meilin, before it finally managed to get them all into a position where it could do everything at once.

Syaoran landed with a thunk just behind the two girls: Their opponent landed in front of them noiselessly, with only a flare of its chilly aura to signify any effort needed in doing so.

Now, Sakura gasped. Whatever this thing was... it carried the same gun-like apparatus the last monster they'd fought carried. In fact, it seemed to be dressed almost the same as the last one.

She wanted to groan - was this the same monster they'd fought the last time, only now given the power of flight?

Something warm touched her back, and she stiffened in surprise, using all of her will power not to jump out of her skin and scream. She was aided by the warm, steady pulsing of warmth from the hand on her back, and knew it was Syaoran.

The creature raised its gun-like device, and just like last time, it made a strange, electronic whirring as it powered up, ready to shoot into their group now that they were all in one nice, small area. As it did so, Syaoran raised his sword, ready to recite an incantation to form a barrier around them, to protect everyone.

The gun pulsed, a 'Fuuka shourai!' pierced the air, followed by a sizzling whoosh and the scream of the wind suddenly forced into too-quick motion, and Sakura flinched, watching as the golden shot hit the green barrier of wind, only to veer very _slightly _off path, just enough that she could feel the heat and disturbance in the air the shot caused raising the hairs on her left forearm.

The wind vortex dissipated, and Sakura felt Syaoran lean into her slightly, his breathing shallow.

"Syaoran, what happened?" Meilin whispered out the corner of her mouth to her cousin.

"This one... much more powerful than the one before..." he grunted. "It... it can cut through magic... dissipate it. Or absorb it. Something."

Sakura felt her pulse pick up at his words, and then even more as the electronic whirring began again, taking all three by surprise. The gun seemed to be gathering power, sucking it inward to form, this time, a dull golden color aura. Syaoran stood up and prepared to defend them again, once again just barely managing to veer the shot off course. This time, just past it, he all but collapsed against Sakura's back, and Meilin had to step over to help support him.

"We need to move... we need to move now!" Meilin cried, her voice high and tight with the beginning signs of panic. She tried to pull on Sakura's good arm, but the Japanese girl didn't move.

The creature began gathering power again, and Syaoran stiffened. He didn't know if he could defend them again. He braced his weight, getting ready to shove both of the girls out of the way before the bullet hit, at least try to spare them getting injured.

He was going to give himself up to save them.

Just as the sound hit its peak, Syaoran ducked low, ready to shove, but something stopped him. Something warm and comforting, and yet at the same time dangerously powerful. It managed to quickly overtake the cold aura permeated by the creature before them, and then spread beyond it. It felt like...

His thoughts were scattered as the creature, suddenly spooked, fired. The shot blazed its golden trail up until but a scant few feet from Sakura... and then it stopped. No, not quite stopped, more like it looked as though it was a bird that had suddenly hit a net, as it rebounded, writhed, twisted in the air just beyond them, before disappearing altogether.

The creature panicked, and began shooting uncharged bursts, all of which met the same fate as the ones before.

"Meilin!" Syaoran yelled. "Meilin go around behind it! Hurry up and make it stop before whatever Sakura's doing stops!"

The young Chinese woman nodded, and carefully slipped behind her cousin and Sakura, before disappearing just around the corner they stood near.

Syaoran closed his eyes as he placed his other hand on Sakura's back, lowering his head. He fed his power into hers, let them mingle, wind about each other like a pair of snakes, or string being braided, as he did so, he tried to use his own power as a guide, gently trying to lead the power in the right direction. As it was, it was just a wild release of power, probably brought about by the magic permeating the area and Sakura's panic.

"Kinomoto!" He called, momentarily forgetting to call her by her first name. "Calm down! Breathe!"

Instead of doing as he asked, he felt her stiffen beneath his touch. "Sakura! Listen to me! Feel what I'm doing... try to go along with it, try to control what you're doing."

Slowly, he felt her respond, felt her power begin to follow his. It took as much concentration as he had to give to keep both his and her power under some sort of control, and he gently tried to guide it toward the opponent.

Finally, there was a break in the frantic gunfire, and he looked up just in time to see his cousin barrel into their antagonist. The figure was thrown off balance, and it tried to get its gun up to point it at Meilin, but she was just that much faster, and had smacked its hand away and landed several severe blows to what should've been its abdomen before anyone could even so much as blink. She ended it with a harsh kick to the midsection that sent it half stumbling, half _flying _into the wall near it, and she ended with what should've been a drop-kick that turned more into her jumping against its stomach before launching out and into a quick roll as soon as she hit the ground. She had done her part - it hadn't even felt her coming. Now she looked expectantly to her cousin, and had to flinch as she did so.

It hurt to look at them, it hurt in the way it did when dark-adjusted eyes were suddenly subjected to an intense light, though there was no light to be had around either of the other two teenagers.

And then the building pressure in the air was released, all at once, in a torrential flood that Meilin, despite not being magically inclined could feel, almost scalding hot across her skin. She threw her arms up to shield herself, though she knew it would do little good, and watched as the shadowed figure twisted, distorted, melted before her very eyes until there was literally _nothing _left of it, nothing to show that it had ever existed in this or any other world.

The Chinese girl felt a shudder rattle her body, and she quietly walked toward her cousin. Sakura was obviously unconscious in Syaoran's arms, but her cousin looked none the worse for wear. In fact, his amber eyes almost glowed in the evening light, and the air around him held the sort of pressure Meilin had come to associate with a very strong magical aura, though she couldn't feel the magic otherwise.

"Xiao Lang..." Meilin murmured, too stunned to speak in anything but her native Chinese. Syaoran looked at her, his face carefully neutral. "... I believe you, now."

-

A/N: Hiya. Read and or review and I will love you foreva and eva. And I will crank out a new chapter! ... Not in five months! ... Probably!


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